LACTNET Archives

Lactation Information and Discussion

LACTNET@COMMUNITY.LSOFT.COM

Options: Use Forum View

Use Monospaced Font
Show Text Part by Default
Show All Mail Headers

Message: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]
Topic: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]
Author: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]

Print Reply
Subject:
From:
vgthorley <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Lactation Information and Discussion <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Sat, 23 Nov 2013 09:12:45 +1000
Content-Type:
text/plain
Parts/Attachments:
text/plain (27 lines)
This morning when I woke and turned on the radio, there was a report on ABC Radio National's "Country Breakfast" program, on the latest developments in the sale or takeover of a major Australian dairy company, an ongoing story. After the update, these was discussion on why such high prices were being offered for shares. Apparently dairy companies are considered extra profitable into the future, because of the expanding artificial powderered infant formula (PIF) market. I have already mentioned in this forum the rapid growth in sales of PIF because local residents and students are buying up bulk stocks of one brand of PIF to mail to China, and how this caused shortages in Australian supermarkets and extra shifts for workers in the manufacturing plant.

This report, this morning, saw the dairy company as attractive from a businss point of view for two additional reasons: 1) the relaxing of the one-child rule in China meaning leading to babies (and babies were assumed to be consumers of PIF - no mention of breastfeeding) and 2) the burgeoning market for one of the proteins in cow's milk, for which there is a new, lucrative market when it is isolated and sold separately to industry. In essence, the report discussed the benefits to the dairy industry, and one dairy company in particular, of the growing PIF market. A lot of the excess liquid cow's milk produced is going into making PIF. Artificial feeding is seen as good for business, which is a concept that concerns me. There is obviously the same concept as a hundred years ago, associating babies with various food products, rather than with breastfeeding, and warning mothers who are breastfeeding that the supply might fail. The remedy? - to drink a commercial baby milk themselves, to make milk.  Scientifically flawed, but effective advertising.

Of course, there is a large local market, as well as the informal export market of PIF going out by mail. The majority of Australian babies - all the ones who are not exclusively breastfed - drink at least some PIF in their early months, even if described as breastfed, but non-exclusively.

I'm keeping this short, just describing today's report on the radio and the background. Perhaps our health economists can research new figures on the health dollars saved in today's economing by incrasing breastfeeding, or the economic costs of not breastfeeding. Unskilled factory jobs and share-holder profits, vs health costs?

Virginia

Dr Virginia Thorley, OAM, PhD, IBCLC, FILCA, GD Couns
Honorary Research Fellow
School of History, Philosophy, Religion & Classics
The University of Queensland, QLD 4072
Australia

             ***********************************************

Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html
To reach list owners: [log in to unmask]
Mail all list management commands to: [log in to unmask]
COMMANDS:
1. To temporarily stop your subscription write in the body of an email: set lactnet nomail
2. To start it again: set lactnet mail
3. To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet
4. To get a comprehensive list of rules and directions: get lactnet welcome

ATOM RSS1 RSS2