The formula company's reply is beside the point. They are very good at
mixing up the issue. They imply that somehow the code bans the use of infant
formula (a ploy which works well on physicians in particular to despise the
code without ever looking at it). The code does not ban the use of formula
when it is necessary. The code bans direct advertising to pregnant women,
new mothers or their families and to the lay public in general. This is a
violation. The code also does not apply just to developing countries,
another bit of misinformation that the companies' propagate. In any case MJ
has very little presence in any developing country I've been to, so this is
no sign of ethical marketing.

If the US and Canadian governments had any huevos they would step all over
the formula companies. But they seem untouchable because the deal with
babies, and "we don't want mothers to feel guilty for not breastfeeding".
AARGH!

The code needs to be made law, with teeth that bite.

Jack Newman, MD, fRCPC