Vanessa asks "Is there anything we can do about getting formula companies to
practice ethical marketing?"

(1)  Send REPORTS of WHO Code violations to the organizations that were
established to MONITOR Internatoinal (WHO) Code compliance.  Anyone in the
world you can submit a complaint form directly to IBFAN
http://www.ibfan.org/code_watch-form.html.   In the USA you can go to NABA
http://www.naba-breastfeeding.org/; in the UK go to BabyMilk Action
http://www.babymilkaction.org/; in Canada it is INFACT Canada
http://www.infactcanada.ca/.  OR, search the IBFAN website to find the WHO
Code monitor for your georgraphical reagion.  There are dozens of them
around the world.

The WHO Code Monitors releaes reports (customarily eveyr theree years)
compiling the infractions that have been reported.  WThe U. S. Surgeon
General's Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding --an important policy
initiative for the USA -- contains language that warns of the dangers of
unethica marketing that fails to meet the WHO Code's guidelines.  If the WHO
Code monitor can substantiate, in its next scheduled report, the very
dangers that the U.S. Surgeon General has warned against, this strengthens
the arguments that advocates at the U. S. Breatfeeding Committee can make to
lawmakers about the need to *legislate* the WHO Code to give it enforcement
teeth.

(2)  Send reports of adverse reactions to formula, and misleading
advertising used by the manufacturers to sell formula, to the agencies in
your country that monitor these kinds of things.  In the USA the FDA
complaint process is at
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/ReportaProblem/default.htm.  Formula is "generally
recognized as safe (GRAS)" which means the manufactuers can make it, and
tweak the recipe, and do not require pre-approval from FDA for those
tweaks.  The only way the FDA knows that "Oops! They got the recipe wrong!"
is if complaints are filed.  It is FDA's job to investigate and
substantiate  ... but they don't know to do it unless there are complaints.

(3)  And do it.  One voice does make a difference.


Liz Brooks JD IBCLC FILCA
Wyndmoor, PA, USA

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