WHO renews call for ban on baby formula advertising

A new report issued by the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and the International Baby Food Action Network calls for a ban on the promotion of baby formula around the world. 

The report’s findings show that only 39 countries have fully implemented the WHO’s International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes, which bans the advertising, marketing and promotion of baby formula.   

Of the 194 countries surveyed, 135 have placed restrictions on the advertisement of baby formula, an increase from the 103 reported in the 2011 study. Israel, which is set to participate in the organization’s annual conference in two weeks’ time, has yet to fully implement the code’s recommendations. 

The WHO recommends that mothers breast-feed exclusively for the first six months of life, at which point they should feed their babies complementary solid foods in addition to breast milk until the age of two and beyond. 

The WHO code bans any form of promotion of baby formula, including the advertising and the distribution of gifts or free samples. Manufacturers are instructed not to champion the health benefits or depict images that idealize the use of baby formula.