Judy: Here are the provisions of the WHO Code, the International Code
of Marketing Breastmilk Substitutes, from INFACT Canada:
1. No advertising of these products to the public.
2. No free samples to mothers.
3. No promotion of products in health care facilities.
4. No company mothercraft nurses to advise mothers.
5. No gifts or personal samples to health workers.
6. No words or pictures idealising artifial feeding, including
pictures of infants, on the labels of the products.
7. Information to health workers should be scientific and factual.
8. All information on artificial infant feeding, including the
labels, should explain the benefits of breastfeeding, and the costs and
hazards associated with artificial feeding.
9. Unsuitable products, such as sweetened condensed milk, should
not be promoted for babies.
10. All products should be of a high quality and take account of
the climatic and storage conditions of the country where they are used.
As you can see, the provision about not advertising to the public is
separate from the one for not promoting through health care facilities.
In the United States, adherence to the Code is voluntary as there has
been no legislation to enforce it. So the violations of numerous of the
10 provisions continue in full force. In fact, I see violations of all
except No. 4, 9 and 10. (Some may argue that No. 6 is adhered to by not
having pictures of babies on the cans, but one might argue that Beatrix
Potter bunnies using abm, as they surely do in nature (heavy sarcasm), or
a cuddly teddy bear on a can of abm are a form of idealising artificial
feeding; as for No. 7, although the information given out may be
scientific and factual, it omits important facts; and although all cans
of abm carry a label stating something to the effect that "breast is
best", I can't recall seeing anything about the costs and hazards of
artificial feeding on any of those cans). I believe we need to continue
to educate people about the Code and its importance. Alicia.
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