I did not see this segment on Good Morning America that Marsha told us about.
My suspicion is that Mead Johnson and/or Ross Products engineered GMA to air
this piece. The content was most likely carefully crafted and supplied to GMA
by the formula company, probably in response to the Fox Undercover stories on
the side effects of these formulas and the slippery way they were brought to
market. This is a form of damage control used by a formula company's PR and
crisis management firm. It is also important to note that Lipil is the name Mead
Johnson gave to its formula with the added fatty acids. Lipil is not the name
of all formulas with these additives. Also, when Mead Johnson sponsors
educational offerings it usually uses the word Lipil in the title, such as the recent
conference in Florida where Joan Meek spoke. The "conference" was entitled
"Enfamil Lipil Nurses Conference." This is a marketing technique called brand
recognition. Nobody buys Mead Johnson, they buy Enfamil! At the medical
education dinner lecture that Dr. Meek gave for Mead Johnson in St. Louis, the
invitation read, "Sponsored by Enfamil Lipil with Iron."

Drafting well known people from the breastfeeding community to speak on
behalf of formula is another way industry uses to disarm its critics. If a
prominent person who is known to support breastfeeding can be enticed to the "dark
side," that person's reputation causes what is known as "image transfer." They
become an apologist for formula, stating that breastfeeding is good, but that if
a baby "needs" formula, these new formulas are the ones to use! Now we have
someone who is respected in the breastfeeding community glossing over formula
and veiling the side effects and poor outcomes known to be associated with not
breastfeeding. This facilitates pulling the wool over eyes that should know
better.

In the end, this just keeps babies from consuming breast milk, which is the
goal of all formula marketing.

Marsha Walker, RN, IBCLC
Weston, MA

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