Countries failing to stop harmful marketing of breast-milk substitutes, warn WHO and UNICEF **Title edited by MNHQ**

[Horehound]

www.who.int/news-room/detail/27-05-2020-countries-failing-to-stop-harmful-marketing-of-breast-milk-substitutes-warn-who-and-unicef

If anyone wants to read. WHO are not happy with countries be blazé about breastmilk substitutes

I was quite alarmed by the statement in the title of this thread which is within the link.

I remember a statistic (during one my sociology lectures) that children from homes that both parents are unemployed/poverty are 12x more likely to die in childhood than those who have working parents.

Oh my god that's so sad :(

The point is some countries Danone is apparently telling mums not to bf during this time wqhich goes aginst WHO guideliines.

So what are you meant to do if, like me, you couldn't breastfeed or you had your children so close together that the rest of your family may have suffered if you'd dedicated all of your time to breastfeeding or you were depressed about not being able to breastfeed? I really hate these bottle feeding shaming statements. They may be true in developing countries, but I don't think the statistics are true for the YK.

I believe that i've read that the chances of baby who is ebf of dying of cot death are tiny.

And in which countries is that?

The poor quality of water is far more likely to have an impact than the formula.

The differences between breast milk and formula are, at a population level and assuming potable water, miniscule.

and that s not meant to undrmermine or shame mum's who bottle feed. It s just a fact.

They may be true in developing countries, but I don't think the statistics are true for the YK.

Do you think the WHO is wrong? (I guess you are in good company if you do...)

What a load of hocus pocus

'' The differences between breast milk and formula are, at a population level and assuming potable water, miniscule.''

The difference between breast milk and formula is massive, actually. Have a look at formula ingredients, compared to what makes up breast milk.

The title is misleading. Isn’t this just an extension of the already well documented problems in many countries with formula marketing? I believe there’s been absolute uproar about formula marketing in some third world or developing countries because they market it as a better way to feed your baby. When in actual fact there is very likely to be hygiene and cost associated issues with formula in these countries. Inability to sterilise, can’t afford so water down etc etc therefore putting baby at risk when more support for breastfeeding would be far more beneficial. Doesn’t surprise me one bit that formula companies have jumped on COVID to try to make a quick buck. After all if you’ve got few enough scruples to target malnourished women in third world countries then a virus must be positively child’s play.

Formula is great when it’s needed and the decision to use it is an informed one. Sadly the cases which are being talked about with this article are very often neither necessary nor informed.

@Felicitycity it is an unsubstantiated and unqualified "fact".

The claim is "14 times more likely to die"

• of what?
• how is formula directly contributing to that and how would breastmilk prevent it?
• where are these deaths occurring?
• at what age?
• what other factors are contributing (i.e. lack of access to clean water or other sanitation) and are they the driving factor, or the formula?
• who has collected these statistics?
• over what time and population range?
• where is the published data? (the WHO page does not link to one)

Breastmilk is not magic and formula is not poison.

"14 times more likely to die" is sensationalist rubbish.

FFS more worry for new parents. It's no wonder women get sick after having babies with all this pressure.

Even if that figure was true in the UK, it's 14 times a minuscule amount to begin with as babies here generally get a good start with good quality healthcare and surroundings and the risk of a baby dying is very low. I don't think they've broken it down by country like that, so the number will be a very broad brush stroke taking in vastly disparate countries and levels of healthcare, nutrition, water quality, etc.

In developing countries, I can well believe those figures (and if they're averaged out including first world countries, it's probably even worse in developing countries) which makes the whole promotion of formula there even more abhorrent

@HouseOfSticks "hocus pocus" hardly. It's the WHO I think I'll believe them over someone who calls science "hocus pocus"

@RottieLover95 really? So were I to gather a group of 5 year olds together you'd be able to tell me which were breastfed and which were bottle-fed? How about 12 year olds or 18 year olds? No?

The ingredients might be different, but the difference it makes to a baby's overall health is tiny.

Breast milk is better for babies! Who knew!

Can we just skip the bit where people pretend to be having a reasonable bf/ff discussion, and straight to the bun fight?

So were I to gather a group of 5 year olds together you'd be able to tell me which were breastfed and which were bottle-fed? How about 12 year olds or 18 year olds? No?

People always come out with this. There’s an awful you can’t tell about a child, or an adult, by looking at them. Asthma, allergies, IQ to name a short few.

@lockheart, formula feeding costs the NHS thousands a year. Because formula fed babies get ill more often. Google it if you don't believe me. No, you couldn't pick from a crowd which were breast and bottle fed. But the science to prove breastfeeding is better for the baby, is there. It's not bashing, it's just facts.

I've read the report and I can't find the evidence for that OP.

Babies die in the developing world because of poor water quality.

Babies don't die in the UK because of formula.

I also think the majority of the benefits of BF in this country are overstated because of the correlations with privilege and likelihood of breastfeeding amongst more affluent mothers.

14 times more likely to die when?

There is a 100% chance of death for all of us.

I breastfed all five of mine. Several of my friends ff from Day One. They are all in their twenties now and there is not one whit of health difference between them. In fact, two of mine (exclusively breast fed for nine months) have significant health problems (that are supposed to be ameliorated by breast feeding).

Formula companies are evil in developing countries. They say that formula will make your child taller and raise irs IQ. They say to breastfeeding mothers, but how do you Know how much your baby is getting? They are such liars. I have known mothers who were happily breastfeeding stop and go on formula because of the anxiety raised by formula marketing. They go into hospitals and accost anxious mothers in the waiting rooms. These formula companies are based in the US or Europe so all profits are ending up there. They are just the worst

In these countries there's no strong public health message to counter it. I can understand why the WHO wants to take them on. Don't rake it personally. It's not about mothers in countries where advertising laws are enforced.

This is guidance from the WHO related to child mortality globally. This is absolutely not saying that breastmilk is some magic unicorn milk that will mean your ebf baby is 14x more likely to survive in the UK (I say this as someone who ebf). What it means is that exclusively breastfeeding allows babies and children to avoid the risks associated with formula use globally. Formula can be incredibly risky for babies where there is not safe drinking water, no safe sterilisation methods, or where formula supplies are interrupted. It’s quite common for formula manufacturers to give new mothers in poor countries free formula until their milk dries up, but then they either can’t buy it locally easily or can’t afford it. Those babies are much more likely to die, if not then, then later. I used to work in South Africa and a family in our community used to dilute formula because they couldn’t afford to use it full strength. Those children easily become malnourished. That doesn’t have the same implications for most people in wealthy countries though.