Wednesday, 01 February 2023 16:00

Baby formula furore

Written by  Milking It

OPINION: A new report controversially claims exploitative and "underhand" marketing of formula milk is preventing millions of women from breastfeeding, according to a series of reports published in the Lancet.

The reports, by 25 experts from 12 countries, including paediatricians, public health specialists, scientists, economists and midwives, finds that the commercial milk formula companies "exploit parents' emotions and manipulate scientific information to generate sales at the expense of the health and rights of families, women and children".

They mention the growing role of social media, with industry-paid influencers sharing the difficulties of breastfeeding as preludes to formula milk marketing, and industry-sponsored parenting apps with 24/7 chat services that enable product placement, offer free samples or deals, and promote online sales.

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