Thanks to KB for drawing our attention to this - it is well worth reading. I picked out this little gem: " But the market leaders have spent decades building their ties to pediatricians and new parents -- and building the mystique of their brands. The formula makers rely mainly on "ethical marketing," a concept that includes maintaining Web sites and phone lines to answer parents' questions, sponsoring seminars and conferences for pediatricians and showering doctors and new parents with gifts. " Yeah, right. Very ethical. Specially the bit about showering docs and parents with gifts. And the Big Boys are quaking that their margins may be hit by generics: "God forbid should you have a child who can't digest protein," said Bill Wolfson, spokesman for Ross Laboratories. "You can't go to generic companies for help." Why would *anyone* want to call a formula company for help if their child could not digest protein ? This high moral tone really gets up my nose. I don't think price is a powerful factor in helping mothers make a choice between breast and formula, so I don't think that low prices will affect breastfeeding, that is, by making them choose formula instead of breast. So, in principle, I am glad to see the Big Boys sweat a little bit, as they are making money from the very poorest mothers' choices, and from the tax payer too (formula milk is subsidised in the UK, too, to poor families). Actually, I'd like to see them sweat a lot more, by seeing the bf rate in the West shoot through the sky.....; ) Heather Welford Neil NCT bfc Newcastle upon Tyne UK *********************************************** The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html