I spend my life explaining this Code - to my clients who are manipulated by health professionals who are paid off by the formula companies, particularly Nestle who now own Materna, the local produce; to hospital staff who arrange happenings and conferences ostensibly to give information about (and promote) their maternitity departments - and then pay for these happenings by getting formula companies to sponsor them; to health ministry officials who allow the very same peds who change infant feeding guidelines which are issued to well-baby clinics to get paid by the formula companies for working for their hot-lines, and so on..... It is very simple. The WHO Code was published to protect breastfeeding and thereby promote optimum health for the world`s infants, whether it be in the poverty-stricken regions of the Third World where water is contaminated and parents cannot afford to mix the formula in its correct quantities, or whether it be in the poor and rich regions of the developed world where unethical advertising and manipulation of health professionals with gifts and paid positions on advisory boards are robbing parents of quality breastfeeding support. The Code presents breastfeeding as the safest and healthiest method of infant feeding. Therefore all attempts to advertise and promote substitutes as equal or even superior to human milk is forbidden. These attempts can be in the form of misleading adverts which claim that the added iron or Vitamin X provides the baby with essential nutrients not available in any other feed or the visual TV promotions showing serene smiling mothers looking at a sleeping baby with the caption: Mother`s little genius. Influencing health professionals with gifts and sponsorship of conferences, donations of formula to hospital nurseries and charities that provide food to poor families on condition that their logos are displayed on pamphlets, bottles and accessories, all these are tactics that undermine breastfeeding. The lay public can also understand these issues. When I visit friends and refuse ice-cream or coffee if it is the brand manufactured by you-know who, it is very easy to explain why. There is however a limit when it comes to boycotting companies that are affiliated to the formula companies. Nestles owns several food companies in Israel under different names, and while I always look for alternatives, it is not always possible to avoid or be aware of every product. I stopped donating to several worthy charities because the formula logo was prominently displayed on their publicity material. Instead I approached those charities with a list of 70 volunteers from the Israel Childbirth Education Centre who were prepared to help me run a telephone emergency line for breastfeeding problems. Not one of them was prepared to help us set up the infrastructure or raise funds to cover the expense of a telephone line. Not so simple after all.... Wendy Blumfield Tutor Prenatal Teacher/Breastfeeding Counsellor, National Childbirth Trust UK Israel Childbirth Education Centre *********************************************** 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