Vanessa has talked about formula marketing tactics and how to urge them to practice ethical marketing of their products. It is highly unlikely that infant formula manufacturers will market their products within the guidelines of the Code. Calling their customer service line will not cause the change that we seek. Formula companies are much more likely to modify their marketing when they are regulated and/or embarrassed into doing so. Companies fear regulation and work hard to make sure that the government does not place any type of restrictions on how they market their product. In the US, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulates advertising, so a complaint to them would be in order. You can do this online at www.ftc.gov. NABA (the National Alliance for Breastfeeding Advocacy) and the Cornucopia Institute have filed a joint petition to the FTC regarding the false and misleading advertising of DHA in infant formula. You can read about this in a publication entitled "Replacing mother-imitating human breastmilk in the laboratory" which is available at www.cornucopia.org. The Food and Drug Administration is planning on conducting a study of how mothers interpret formula advertising. You can read about this study and comment on it through the Federal Register at http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2011/pdf/2011-4740.pdf.  It is important that you give input to the FDA if you have heard mothers that you work with talk about infant formula as closer to breastmilk or in any way equivalent to human milk. 


Other actions you can take include asking your legislators to file bills that place a curb on false and misleading infant formula advertising. Federal regulations that place elements of the Code into law will have more of an effect on reducing unethical infant formula marketing than calling the manufacturer. When you see ads for infant formula on websites, contact the owner of the website and ask that they request that infant formula ads not be placed on their site.


NABA has an 8 page handout on how infant formula and feeding bottle manufacturers have extended their marketing to new heights. I would be happy to provide this to anyone who is interested.


Marsha Walker, RN, IBCLC
Executive Director, National Alliance for Breastfeeding Advocacy
Weston, MA




 

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