The marketing approach described a day or two ago, with direct mail to
mothers three weeks post partum extolling the virtues of artificial feeding
and with instructions on how to wean in a fortnight, is in clear violation
of the letter of the WHO code, which contains a chapter expressly forbidding
manufacturers of breastmilk substitutes from attempting to make contact with
expectant or new mothers.  Unfortunately the code has not been ratified in
the US, so if the mother lives there, she has no legal sanctions to use.

As a consumer, she might want to find out how the company got her name.  If
the hospital she gave birth at is responsible, she will probably want to let
them know how she felt about it, and if they are interested in achieving
baby friendly status, they need to clean up their act.

The company should be told what she thinks, if only to be able to say she
put the ball back in their court.

Since this person was herself a physician, she may have abundant
opportunities to meet representatives for the company, and they are likely
to be VERY interested in why she has less faith in their products after
seeing the unethical way in which the company markets them in the US.

Baby Milk Action is a UK group which does monitor abuses of the code world
wide, and they would be interested in knowing about this, even in a country
where the code is not ratified.  Often companies operate in several
countries, and compromising information such as this can be used to prevent
them achieving undeserved respectability in places with tighter ground
rules.

We don't need a law to tell us when to be displeased about dirty tricks.

Rachel Myr
Kristiansand, Norway
member of a voluntary watchdog organization here

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