Marie has again mentioned Abbott's "expert" feeding line. This relationship between infant formula companies and intermediaries is truly disturbing. Another example is the infant feeding information at WebMD which is completely sponsored by Gerber (Nestle). I wrote the following note to a wonderful blog, PhD in Parenting at www.phdinparenting.com which has discussed these relationships, specifically Babble.com's selling out to Abbott. Both the blog and my note below mention actions to take. I am extremely concerned about the safety of the information being provided at Babble.com and WebMD as well as the safety and quality of advice being dispensed by Life Care employees. 


Marsha Walker, RN, IBCLC
Weston, MA



It is certainly disappointing to see that Babble.com has succumbed to the tantalizing efforts of Abbott to engage others in its drive to cause more mothers to purchase Similac formula products. When a mother calls the phone number provided by Abbott she reaches Life Care, a company who has also been duped into marketing infant formula for Abbott. The person a mother reaches is not an IBCLC, but an employee who has taken an on-line course in breastfeeding. IBCLCs do not work for formula companies because it presents a conflict of interest. Therefore, mothers are being mislead into thinking that the help with breastfeeding that they will receive is being provided by someone credentialed to do so. I am concerned that a mother will receive inappropriate information for a situation that is truly serious and suffer an adverse outcome. Risky business. Babble.com places mothers and babies at risk for referring mothers to a resource that may not be qualified to deliver the advertised services in a safe manner.
Abbott and other formula companies have escalated their marketing campaigns due to dropping birth rates and more mothers breastfeeding. You can see more of this type of marketing at WedMD, whose infant feeding section is completely sponsored by Gerber (Nestle). The co-opting of infant feeding information on the web by formula companies is worrisome. Formula companies provide breastfeeding information as a mechanism to whitewash their image and sell more of their product, not as a community service.
If a mother needs help with breastfeeding she can contact the US Lactation Consultant Association’s website at http://www.uslca.org to find an IBCLC credentialed lactation consultant near her.
If we wish to help the intermediaries refrain from providing inappropriate and potentially damaging information ask Babble to stop peddling formula for Abbott, ask WebMD to stop peddling formula for Nestle. You can also consider reporting Life Care to the Connecticut state attorney general’s office and Abbott to the Illinois state attorney general’s office. Complaints can also be sent to the Better Business Bureau in Connecticut and Illinois.





 

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