If  free formula in whatever guise it appears didn't mean *more* women used
formula (and therefore breastfed *less*...duh) then the industry wouldn't
*bother* giving the stuff  away...this is lesson one, surely, in basic
marketing techniques,  ancient and modern.

It is also a technique used by drug dealers (' hey, kids, your first hit is
free!' ) and computer software manufacturers ('download our basic version
for nothing, and maybe we'll be able to sell you the de-luxe version').

The formula industry is so keen on it, the only way they are stopped from
doing it anywhere in the world  is by making the technique illegal...and
even then they do their hardest to maintain it!

Heather Welford Neil
NCT bfc Newcastle upon Tyne