Help Restrict the Promotion of Formula milk - Send Email to FSA before May 5th

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This is from the Breastfeeding Manifesto Coalition ....

How a baby is fed has profound health implications for both mother and child. It is very important that all parents, those who use formula and who breastfeed, have access to reliable information based on evidence that is free from commercial pressure. Only when this happens will parents be able to make a fully informed decision about how they want to feed their child.

In the UK however, weak laws mean that formula advertising and promotion far outweighs good quality information on feeding. The result of this is that formula feeding mothers find it hard to access reliable information to understand the facts about the various products, including safe preparation and storage of formula milk.,

To improve protection for parents and babies the Breastfeeding Manifesto Coalition is calling for the WHO Code of Marketing of Breastmilk substitutes and subsequent resolutions to become the Law in the UK (Objective 7 of the Manifesto). This is something we are committed to, but it can't happen overnight.

However, we do have an opportunity NOW to help move UK legislation in the right direction and strengthen the legislation governing baby milk promotion in the UK. The Food Standards Agency is consulting until February 5th on the new Guidance which the formula milk advertising must follow when promoting, labeling and advertising formula milk.

Please send the email below and play your part in helping to ensure that the new Regulations are as strong and robust as possible. Public pressure makes a real difference so make your voice heard!

www.breastfeedingmanifesto.org.uk/make_your_voice_heard_2.php/

Harp I recieved the gov guidelines in a leaflet I think, said leaflet was everywhere,hospital,clinic etc. Was 4 and 3 years ago now so can't be exactly sure. Was then interviewed at length by a Laleche woman in hospital so I was a kind of breast feeding expert by the time my twins were born-fat lot of good it did me though.

Was definately pleased with the info I got.

More information on how the brands compare would be useful but as adverts are banned for small babies don't see how this campaign will help.

We don't need a campaign to increase information about formula.

MilaMae was happy with the information she got.

So, it must be there is no problem at all.

After all, if MilaMae is happy, what else matters?

Jee-ZUZ!

There is hardly any information about formula.

When people say they need ads to be informed, they don't mean 'so we can assess the risks and compare brands'...because when did advertising ever do that for anything?

Serious question.

TheHedgeWitch - have you not read the thread? Have you not read my post just before yours?

It is a good thing for parents to be informed. Parents need information, and more of it. No one is trying to 'completely cut out any information on formula feeding' - what are you on about? There is not enough information on formula - there are ads, and marketing.

You 'think' some brands are better than others. You may be right, but a study of one child (yours) tells no one anything at all. We need proper independent comparisons, so people can judge for themselves - one brand may make more babies sick, one brand may make more babies constipated, one brand may have a poor record of safety, one brand may compromise more babies' immune systems....etc etc. Wouldn;t you want to know this? Do you think you will get this from advertising?

You say "Not everyone can or wants to BF, the information should be out there for those who need it." Who would disagree with that? But how does advertising help?

TheHedgeWitch, you are still not reading what I am writing...

You needed to know about sterilisation and preparation of infant formula, and of course that should have been freely available to you, at precisely the time you needed it, and many of us here agree that ff mothers should have this support and help in their own kitchens, so someone can check everything is understood and followed. Not formula feeding safely is a potential health hazard, so I think ff mothers actually need rather more than a leaflet about it, to be honest - the leaflet should be there to back up what has been explained and demonstrated in person, in the mother's own home, with the mother's own baby.

Having said that, I don't think there is a massive public health issue with unsafe formula feeding, and the risk of putting infomercials up about how to sterilise and so on is that you end up appearing to give the impresh that formula feeding is inevitable for everyone.

The public health issue is not enough skilled help and support getting breastfeeding off to a good start, which then leads mothers to switch to ff before they planned to.

Advertising is necessarily brand specific, and could not be any other way with formula.

If the infomercials were paid for by the industry, do you really, really think they would tell the full story?

So what info do others recieve then?? Can't believe I'm the only one happy with what I recieved. Genuinely interested

MilaMae I breastfed DS1 and am still BFing DS2, so obviously wasn't given any info about formula, but 7 years ago when DD was born and I FF her I was told nothing about what I was putting in her body, I knew nothing of the virgin gut or risks of formula, I knew no way of deciding which formula was best for her and I only knew how to sterilise a bottle because I had seen a friend do it a year before and read the Milton sterilising packet.

I was given no information whatsoever, and I think that sucks, had I had the information I would still have FF but I would have been aware of the risks and I would've been able to make a decision on which milk to use on facts rather than because SMA happened to be the one they had the most of at the hospital at the time.

As each baby is different, each one is likely to be suited to a different concoction of ingredients found in formula, so I honestly beleive we need scientific studies based on comparison of these formulas to ensure we have the right information, as no study ahs been done I can't agree that even with a leaflet on how to sterilise and the risks of formula milk, anyone has been given enough information, and advertisments do not make that any better.

So how the hell are FFeders meant to get information from then? Empirical judgement is preferred of course but with your first baby you do need some kind of information.

Are you seriously suggesting that ALL FF advertising should be banned?

I totally agree that it is not totally clear what Formula is out there, the nuances between the brands and how it needs to be prepared. I had to walk into a health shop by chance and find an assistant who happened to be a nutritionist to help me with various organic/goats Formulas. So I would have appreciated more information proper on the range of formulas out there, it would have helped so much, esp when SMA was causing excema and diorreah in DD.

I am always so amazed at the bigotry of the same old people on here with regards to FF. What the hell do you expect us to do without any information except for (of course) the obligatory "put your baby to your breast" - which was all I got from the healthcare professionals in the midst of PND, PPH, Mastitis, Antibiotics, a baby that didn't latch, jaundice, extreme weight loss?. Oh even LESS info about Formula Milk that will help!

When we were buying a carseat (stay with me here...) I needed independant information so that I could compare the different brands. There were certain things I was interested in - how well did the seat do in side impact crashes, for example.

Luckily, I was able to access information that allowed me to do that. This source was unaffiliated with any car seat manufacturer and so was not interested in selling me anything, and could be unbiased. I could make the best choice for my child.

If I were going to formula feed my baby, I would love to be able to do the same. I might want to know whether Formula A tended to aggravate eczema, or how likely it was to make my child constipated.

As there is no independant source of information, I would have to rely on ads which would tell me things like 'it has immunofortis' whatever that is or imply that it will make my partner be more helpful (can't recall the name, had a piano jingle with a dad doing the voiceover + promising stuff).

My baby's source of nutrition is at least as important as her safety in a car - THIS is why formula ads need to be restricted, and actual useful information of the sort described above (and in a previous post) needs to be made available.

To make it clear - there should be more INFORMATION available about different formulas and fewer ADS - the ads don't tell you anything useful other than the brand name and possibly if it organic or not.

Crush, surely you understand that advertising of a product is made solely yo increase profit for the manufacturers?
No-one is saying there shouldn't be information out there, the total opposite in fact, the companies should not be able to 'sell' their products with advertising but tell the truth about them with information so if someone decides to FF they can get the best info out there to base their choices on.

So are you suggesting that we restrict this communication of information about FF to the healthcare arena?

What is the "truth" about FF?

What is the "truth" about BF?

Advertising Formula isn't going to disappear that is ridiculous. Every product has the right to market and I for one don't see the big problem here - with the recent changes to the wording allowed to be used.

I am astounded that you are splitting hairs over the Aptamil ad, which for me looked like a promo for BF until at the end it kicks in that "if you CHOOSE" to Formula feed you might possibly, ever so kindly like to try this, maybe, once you get over feeling like utter shit about it, possibly...??

I think when it's said breast is best and what should be doing better for baby the likes of me who didn't produce milk feel a failure so to say if you don't want to stops you from feeling like your baby is missing out breast is good but formula is too and mothers who are unable to breast feed shouldn't feel they have failed there child. Everyone knows the benefits but not everyone can do it

Stands up and whips out megaphone:

Ahem......

ADVERTISING IS NOT IMPARTIAL INFORMATION
ADVERTISING IS NOT IMPARTIAL INFORMATION
ADVERTISING IS NOT IMPARTIAL INFORMATION
ADVERTISING IS NOT IMPARTIAL INFORMATION
ADVERTISING IS NOT IMPARTIAL INFORMATION
ADVERTISING IS NOT IMPARTIAL INFORMATION

Got it?

It's designed to SELL you something!

Good.

"Advertising Formula isn't going to disappear that is ridiculous"

It has in the Netherlands, more or less - they heavily restrict formula advertising.

They also have a 98% bf rate on discharge from hospital.

Any possibility there might be any relationship to these two facts.......?

I don't understand what your point has to do with advertising of formula, bubblagirl.

It is perfectly possible to ban adverts and control the marketing of infant formula. This is done in many countries of the world - Norway, Sweden and Denmark for starters, and there are controls and limits in many, many other countries including our own.

How infants are fed, and how parents are informed about the choices available, is a public health issue.

Advertising formula impacts on infant health - parents are poorly informed by it, and their choice to use formula or to breastfeed, or which formula to use, is not based on sound evidence. You cannot prove it does or does not have an impact on an individual - so individual protests of 'if didn't make any difference to me' are meaningless. But on a national level, control and prevention of advertising of formula is one of a range of measures that improve the health of our society (and, icidentally, save us all money as taxt payers).

I challenge anyone to come up with an ad for infant formula that genuinely and fully informs parents about any of this.

Advertising ff illegal in Scandinavian countries too. It doesn't mean you don't have access to information about ff.

Crush, listen to the ad. It says 'if you move on from breastfeeding.....'

Nothing about choice - and it would be even more of a disgrace if it included 'choice' as for many women, it isn't.

Also not every product does have the right to market, prescription medication for example, I could say cigarettes and alcohol are heavily restricted but I know that will lead to a cigarettes harm you, formula doesn't type argument which I cannot be bothered to have, so medicine, something needed, something good for you, something that we rely on heavily....
How do we choose it?
Through proper, independant medical research!
As we should with formula, surely it being the lfie substance for many of our infants means it shoudl be more important than the lieks of medicines and therefore tested much more heavily? Yet it isn't, I think priorities are wrong personally..

Totally agree with more info needed on camparison's of brands. Half the reason there isn't any must be due to the currant legislation. I asked my midwife which would be best for my son she blatantly lied and said they're all the same, I'm not allowed to give a preferance.

Sabire I really take offense with this myth that ff mums are so feckless we'd be merrily breastfeeding away, see a f advert and just switch.

Most of us who have switched will have examined doing so at length it's really patronising to suggest advertising would be the main player in such an important decision. The only way in which advertising would sway me was over which brand so I'd far rather midwives were able to give me a rundown of each available brand on the market.

I still believe there is plenty of info on the benefits of bfeeding,any parenting mag has it is, gov leaflets are everywhere. The actual support with bfeeding is what is inadaquate.

The issue re making up bottles, I'm pretty clueless re anything scientific but have to say washing a few bottles, popping them in a steriliser, switching it on, putting the correct amount of powder in, adding water etc was pretty easy even for me.

I was the 'idiot' who said that, TheHedgeWitch. And it's still true, despite your silly insult.

Someone your dad knew who had been a matron (a what?? How long ago was this?) of an antenatal ward (how many babies are on an antenatal ward?) said in her years as a midwife, she'd seen less babies sick on it...and I wonder how many times SMA has changed its formulation since she was looking after pregnant women? Formulations change all the time, and any midwife who bases her recommendation on her experience is showing how little she knows.

As you have, with your post.

Nazi-esque?
Yes we certainly have the look of Adolf Hitler amongst us on this thread do we not