Should formula milk advertising be completely illegal

[Reallytired]

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6933188.stm

I think so. Mums who need to use formula, are better off getting advice from health professionals rather than advertising.

RTKM, please don't tell me what I should and shouldn't be concerned about.

Can you answer why formula needs to be advertised?

I'm having real trouble posting what my brain is trying to think tonight!

Pele advertises Viagra. That's not true is it. He talks about erectile disfunction, says go and get some help, it's revealed the ad is from Pfizer.

How would that sort of ad be? A celeb mum does a small piece to camera, says go and talk to your hv about formula, end caption shows C&G logo, say.

NB, why would you need to advertise formula in that way?

There are already celeb endorsements on their websites though - C&G has Denise Lewis (), for instance, doing a voiceover on a rather shocking cartoon.

SO that the FF mums are informed of the choices available

Ali - your question seemed like a loaded one. I thought you had a follow up point to make is all.

I don't think you can really equate advertising with information (in the sense of 'impartial' info), Kanga, especially not in such a loaded and competitive market as formula. I think the companies tend to make pretty similar claims, as people have a specific view about what's good in a baby feeding product.

Well, if prescription drugs can't be advertised, but Pele can do his thing, let's say formula ads are banned but sponsored info thingies aren't.

How would that be? Because I'm sure there would be some promotion going on, I can't see the formula companies sitting back and saying Que sera sera, you know?

Just trying to imagine a post-ban world.

What information would they get from adverts that they don't get from looking at the products in the aisle at the supermarket, RTKM?

Do you need a prescription for viagra?

Sorry, I mean "does one need..." - I'm not implying anyone on this thread needs help with erectile dysfunction...

I rather thought you did, I admit I've never tried to procure any.

Haven't read all threads
responses.

I personally do not think formula should be advertised.

There should be a formula available if mums need that fulfils all nutritional requirements if breastfeeeding is not the chosen method or breastfeeding doesn't work out for any reason.

One formula company advertising over another really annoys me.

"Why is that not seen as important whereas if mums are influenced by adverts to FF their baby it is the end of the world? "

Formula fed babies are more likely to end up in hospital with nasty chest/ gut infections. They suffer more from eczema/ ashama/ obesity and loads of other health problems.

NHS budgets are over stretched and increasing breastfeeding is an effective way of reducing the number of children who require hospital treatment.

Me too, Mears.

It's like "we care more for your infant's nutrition" "No, WE care more"

If they weren't motivated SOLELY by profit, they'd be working together to create a formula that was as excellent as possible so that babies who did need formula, for whatever reason, had the very best product available.

HM, are you advocating nationalising the formula industry?

That'd solve some problems would it not?

Well given the start in life that kangaboy had he is now 12 years old - he is correct height and weight

He has only been ill from his asthma/broncilitus when he was a little baby

BUT before you say that was because of being FF his lungs were damaged from being ventilated on oxygen for 3 months

His asthma has been under control for many years

So IMHO and IME it is NOT correct to blame FF on all those things

I dont think anyone is RTKM.

Do you not think a bit of competition between formula companies make them improve ther formulae?

Different kids do need different formula. For example a baby with severe reflux might have a thickend formula where as a baby with allergies might have a soya based formula. A family who is vegeterian might diliberately choose to avoid formula with fish extracts in.

The sheer number of formulae on the market is confusing. Surely a bottlefeeding mum would welcome some clear and accurate info about the merits of different formulae before making a decision. Glossy ads with loud music do not provide this information.

VVV I was replying to this post

By Reallytired on Tue 07-Aug-07 23:16:26
"Why is that not seen as important whereas if mums are influenced by adverts to FF their baby it is the end of the world? "

Formula fed babies are more likely to end up in hospital with nasty chest/ gut infections. They suffer more from eczema/ ashama/ obesity and loads of other health problems.

NHS budgets are over stretched and increasing breastfeeding is an effective way of reducing the number of children who require hospital treatment.

I do think something pretty major needs to be done, NB. Well, more than one thing, really.

Look at the statistics for breastfeeding in this country.

90% of women who stop breastfeeding in the first six weeks don't want to.

By six months, only 1 in 4 babies is having any breastmilk at all.

Over 90% of babies in this country have formula at some point.

Yet people are complaining about breastfeeding being "rammed down their throats".

Odd, eh? Banning all formula adverts would be a small step to making a more supportive climate for breastfeeding mothers in this country. At the moment, they're a minority group after the first month (and, actually, given that the methods for collecting the statistics for "initiating breastfeeding" are hazy to say the least, they may be a minority group from birth - one borough at least that I know of counts initiating breastfeeding as "has the baby licked your nipple?" fgs).

And, you know what, it's perfectly possible to want a more supportive atmosphere for breastfeeding that DOESN'T exclude or marginalise those who don't want to breastfeed or can't, for whatever reason, partly because if all the women who wanted to breastfeed could do it for as long as they wanted to, nobody would feel bad about their "choice" to use formula, would they?

It's now, when it's not a choice at all for so many, that women feel worse about it, I think.

That's just it - clear and accurate info would be marvellous - but that would have to be provided by an impartial source. Sort of a Which? report for formula. (I think this has been suggested on MN before).

RT, yes, sorry, I should've thought that through more and said the best infant milk for your baby's needs - of course different babies will have different requirements.

Berolina, Which? won't do a comparison - they said there was no interest in their readership - I differed, they ignored me. The initial response was v enthusiastic, so I did wonder who they'd spoken to in the meantime...

Why do mums seem to be so guilt-ridden and lacking in confidence, do you suppose?

If they're not getting madly defensive about what variety of milk their baby is having it's about dummies, or jars of food, or disposable nappies or sleeping arrangements, or, or, or...

Generalising somewhat, but you see what I'm saying?

RTKangaMummy,

There has been study after study that show formula fed babies stastically have poorer health. There is quite a lot of scientific proof. Its not just my opinion that ff babies cost the NHS more money.

The nature of statistics is that you have to look at thousands of children. You also have to take into account factors like wealth, housing and social class which affect health.

Breastfeeding is only one of many factors that affect the health, happiness and intelligence of a child. The is more to parenting than how you feed your child.