Martha you wrote, ". This is one of the few cases where I truly believe the
government has a duty to step in and  regulate marketing, and perhaps R&D.
Free market forces can only smother the greater good (healthy breastfeeding
rates)."

The government has a duty to step in, if it truly believes that breastfeeding
is the best.  But it is obvious from the various documents that I have looked
at that the government has invested "our" money and given its researchers to
the biotech people.  The biotech people are not investing in breastfeeding.
Their alliances are with the pharmaceutical companies whose intent is to
engineer an infant formula that is "imitation" human milk.  They already have
the ability to engineer many of the various components of human milk.  The
government document that I posted from 1994 was funding to the tune of
$600,000 to do an in vivo study of genetically engineered human lactoferrin.
Has any breastfeeding organization gotten that kind of funding? The
government (National Science Foundation) is funding Martek
to genetically engineer DHA.  Martek is not only collaborating with Wyeth but
all the other infant formula companies.  When you go to some of the
government web sites you will see pharmaceutical banners and even the "Got
Milk" campaign is on one site.  The government has an interest in patents
(being the assignee of many of these patents) that are genetically
engineering human milk.  Whose interests is the US Government looking out
for?  Breastfeeding?  You gotta be kidding....Valerie W. McClain, IBCLC

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