It's too bad the US Breastfeeding Committee (USBC) felt they couldn't support Maria Parlapiano (NJ) and me by speaking out publicly, about how Nestle is signing partnerships with the City of Newark and the State of Michigan (and I suspect other places, in the US), to "educate" about breastfeeding and nutrition, in medical schools, hospitals and communities.  

Every time we speak out publicly we have the opportunity to educate the public, health professionals, decision makers and the media about how formula marketing tactics lead to sickness, obesity and increased health care costs. 

Today, the public are angry because they feel something is being taken away from them (like "free supplies or a "free" program).  They don't understand.  And maybe they don't understand because we, as health professionals, told them for many years, (and still today), that they had  / have  to supplement with formula or they would be starving their babies!!  They think they may need the "free" samples.

If the USBC had used the media, over the last 5 months, (or the last 12 years?) to educate about what the companies are actually doing to undermine breastfeeding, there would be more "lights going on" for people today (including the media) and we could likely have stopped the partnerships with Nestle but ...

From my many years of experience, most women choose to breastfeed and are successful when given correct information of why and how to breastfeed (not information from their health professionals who continue to be "trained" / "used" by industry).

It will be a happy day for me when I see the USBC, list on their website, what the individual companies are up to and what they are doing about it. For example, in January, I posted on Lactnet that Abbott was providing "free" cross-Canada webcasts (for health professionals).  Abbott was hoping to promote their formula, (Similac) with added prebiotics and lutein, as similar to breastmilk.  Their webcasts backfired on them! Due to the campaign we mounted, the webcasts switched to be completely scientific and the importance of breastfeeding was discussed. The researchers admitted that there were no studies that showed these additives, when added to formula, had any health benefits.  I posted this outcome. 

 Marsha Walker, Chair of the Advocacy Committee of the USBC knew the outcome but no warning was posted on the USBC website.  A few weeks ago, someone on Lactnet posted about attending an Abbott presentation, (US) on the addition of prebiotics and luetin so I guess Abbott is trying to get away with their lies in the US now.  Wouldn't it have been better if the USBC had notified their members about what was happening in Canada?  They could have stopped this marketing scam. 

When someone alerts the USBC about the latest marketing tactic, wouldn't it be better to say?:  "good for you for passing this on - we'll look into it and give our members a heads up" instead of (like Maria and I) being told, "good for you - but we don't get involved".  If not the USBC, then who?

While the USBC is working to educate their members and partners about promoting and supporting breastfeeding they seem to look the other way about the "protecting" part of their mission statement.

While Lactnet is a very important group, we are small in number compared with the number of people that need to be reached with research based information about "protecting" breastfeeding.  I would think that many lactnetters are far more aware of the marketing than some other health professionals.

Renee (in Vancouver, Canada)

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