THE DEADLY MARKETING OF INFANT FORMULA
by Lisa Papas
This Youtube video highlights a serious problem with advertising. Advertising exists to convince people to purchase or use a certain product, regardless if that product is harmful. The issue addressed in the video is the aggressive promotion of artificial baby milk,more commonly referred to asinfant formula, to people in third world countries. What could possibly be wrong with advertisements of smiling, contented babies with bottles of infant formula?
One very important thing; infant formula is killing babies all over the world.
The companies that manufacture infant formula aggressively promote their product in areas of the world where people have no access to clean water and do not have the money
to buy the formula. A family may use a third of their income to buy infant formula. Not having enough money to keep purchasing the milk, these parents may be forced to dilute the milk, leaving the infant malnourished. When mixing the powdered formula with dirty water, the infants often suffer with diarrhea, leaving them dehydrated and further malnourished. This malady is called “baby bottle disease”.
The infant formula manufacturers don’t care that the use of their products in these disadvantaged areas kills and hurts babies. They only care about their profit margin. The artificial baby milk (ABM) manufacturerssend representatives to the hospitals in these third world countries dressed in white, giving the new parents the impression that they are some part of the medical profession. These representativesbring samples of the artificial baby milks with them, and give thosemilk samplesto new mothers in the hospitals. Thebaby milkmanufacturersspendhuge sums of moneyon t.v. advertisements that make outrageous claims that a particular infant formula is almost like breastmilk, or that it will make the baby smarter. These corporations spend more money to buy ads in magazines that show smiling, happy new mothers feeding their brand of formula to a smiling happy baby. Bottle feeding mothers are usually pictured fully dressed, looking at their babies lovingly. If breastfeeding mothers are shown in these same magazines, the mothers are often sitting in a chair ina nightgown, breasts fully exposed, looking frazzled. This gives women that look at those magazines the impression that in order to breastfeed, a mother must hide in her bedroom, undressed.
Baby milk advertisements show cans of formula with phrases that say things like “ 100% nutrition”, “ just like breast milk”, “easily digested “ listed on the label, influencing new mothers to think that the formula is as good if not better than their own milk.
All of these claims and ads violate the International Code of Marketing for Breastmilk Substitutes. The International Code was put into place to prevent these companies from making claims in advertising that were blatantly untrue and dangerous. All around the world, including industrialized countries such as the United States, babies die from a lack of breastmilk. In third world countries with no access to clean water, breastfeeding is critical to protecting innocent babies. However, even in industrialized countries with clean water, artificial baby milk puts babies at risk for many health problems.
Hospitals around the world are given billions of dollars worth of formula samples to hand out to new mothers. These samples further influence new mothers not to breastfeed. Because the samples are handed out by hospital staff, the mothers come away with the impression that the milk is good for their babies, because it was given to them by people in the medical profession. Also, research shows that mothers usually continue buying the brand of formula that was given to them in the hospital. In order for breastfeeding to be successful, the first hours and days after birth are critical. A new baby must nurse early and often in order to establish a new mother’s milk supply. Every time a bottle of formula is given to the newborn, the baby nurses less, the new mother’s body is signaled to make less milk, and if this continues on a regular basis, the new mother loses her milk supply, or never gets it started well to begin with. This puts the new mother on a vicious downward cycle, as her body makes less milk, the baby gets hungrier, fussier and sleepy, and begins to prefer the bottle. Also the action of sucking on a bottle nipple is different than nursing at the breast, so the baby may have problems latching on to the breast. This all combines together to cut a new mother’s milk supply, causing many new mothers to claim that they “couldn’t breastfeed because they didn’t have enough milk”. The percentage of new mothers that actually have physical, glandular reasons for not being able to produce milk is actually very low. Most breastfeeding is unsuccessful because of improper management. The baby milk manufacturers influence this as well. They often make up gift packs for breastfeeding mothers with videos or pamphlets on breastfeeding. These videos and pamphlets are often filled with information that is wrong, or pictures of improper positioning. Throughout this literature, weaning to a bottle is discussed often, giving new mothers the impression that they must stop breastfeeding very soon. This contradicts the standards recommended by many prominent organizations. The AmericanAcademy of Pediatrics recommends that “babies be breastfed exclusively for six months, and until at least one year, or until whenever is mutually decided between mother and child.” The World Health Organization recommends that all babies be breastfed for two years.
The media portrays research that shows the benefits of breastfeeding incorrectly as well. Often articles are written making claims that “breastfeeding lowers the risk of a baby developing allergies” instead of the more truthful statement that “artificial baby milk raises the risk of developing allergies.” There are hundreds of studies showing that artificially fed babies are at much higher risk of developing allergies and asthma, dying of SIDS, developing cancer, becoming obese and developing necrotizing enterocolitis, a potentially fatal gut complication.
Infants that are fed artificial baby milk have higher rates of ear infections, respiratory infections, meningitis and rotavirus.
Studies from the last decade have shown that formula fed children may face an increased risk for developing Type 1 diabetes. Correlation has been made to babies who were exclusively formula fed or breastfed less than three months. Some research shows that early exposure to cow’s milk increases the likelihood of developing an antibody that is found in children with diabetes.
Breastfed babies are less likely to develop cancer, and breastfeeding mothers are much less prone to both breast and ovarian cancer! A 1999 study found a 21% risk reduction for childhood leukemia in breastfed children.Scientists in labs have documented the ability of breastmilk to kill cancer cells in petri dishes!
Breastmilk is a living substance, full of antibodies that protect against illness. A mother’s milk isconstantly producing antibodies to the specific germs that she comes into contact with, thus protecting her baby. There are several hundred components of breastmilk that haven’t even been identified yet, so infant formula isn’t even close to comparing adequately.
Breastfed babies also enjoy an eight point IQ advantage compared to their formula fed peers, as well as better letter and number recognition as preschoolers, and better motor skills. Babies breastfed exclusively for at least six months show different mouth, jaw and palate development compared to bottle fed children. The action of breastfeeding develops the jaw differently, making breastfed children less likely to need orthodontics later on. Breastfed children consequently develop clearer speech as they grow.
Of all the benefits of breastmilk, and all the dangers of artificial baby milk, none is more astonishing than the differences in the risks for suffering from diarrhea. A World Health Organization (WHO) study showed that artificially fed babies in developing countries had six times the risk of developing diarrhea when compared to breastfed babies. One study from Brazil showed that artificially fed babies had twice the risk of developing diarrhea but that the risk of actually dying was 14 to 15 times greater!!
The Youtube video shows a picture of an Indian woman with boy/girl twins. The picture was taken one day before the infant girl died. The woman was told that she couldn’t make enough milk for both babies. She breastfed the son, and bottle fed the daughter.
The picture shows the chubby, healthy, obviously thriving son, and the emaciated, sickly little girl who is suffering from bottle baby disease. This woman gave her permission for her photo to be circulated to help alert others to the problem of baby bottle disease. This woman most certainly would have been able to breastfeed both babies.
While the International Code of Marketing for Breastmilk Substitutes has been promoted all over the world, compliance on the part of the infant formula manufacturers is voluntary. The companies continue to violate the Code in nearly every country of the world, and continue to exploit loopholes in the Code. The marketing of follow upformulas for older babies started as a way to exploit a loophole in the Code. Advertising for follow up formulas, (baby milk for older infants and toddlers) is not restricted by the Code in the same way as milks forinfantsnewborn to six months of age. So now the baby milkcorporations hawk the later stages formulas as much as they can.
Another danger of infant formula is the danger of contamination. There have been several recalls in the last two decades, of baby milks that were contaminated with bits of glass, missing an ingredient or vitamin, or contaminated with bacteria. Several babies have died from drinking either contaminated formula, or being fed formula deficient in an important vitamin. In some cases, when corporations pulled recalled formula off the shelves in the United States, they tried to turn around and ship that formula to a third world country!
The infant formula manufacturers have been very successful with their marketing strategies over the years. Over the period of the last 60 to 80 years, breastfeeding has been replaced as the normal standard for infants. Women have been fed propaganda that breastfeeding hurts, (not if done correctly), is inconvenient, (it is actually far easier and convenient) that it is not compatible with taking medications, (there are many over the counter and prescription drugs that are compatible with breastfeeding, including many antidepressants, antibiotics and painkillers), and that it is impossible to have even one drink. (not true, an occasional glass of wine or beer is compatible).
Breastfeeding is an important tool in the fight against breast cancer. The longer period of time, and the more children a woman breastfeeds, the lower her risk of breast cancer. Breastfeeding also hinders a woman’s fertility. Exclusive breastfeeding can stop the return of a woman’s menstrual cycle and subsequently the return of her fertility. This allows some spacing between children, helpful for many women, but especially important in the third world, where resources are so limited.
Infant formula also impacts the environment negatively, and studies have shown artificial baby milk to be further contaminated by the metals leaching into the milk from the containers they are in, as well as chemicals leaching into the milk from plastic baby bottles.
Nothing can be more cruel than the marketing of inferior baby milks to poor women without access to clean water or the money to continue to provide that milk to their infants. The infant formula industry reaps billions of dollars from the sale of their products. Meanwhile, infants continue to die around the world every day, because they didn’t have the good fortune to be breastfed. The World Health Organization estimates that 1.5 million babies die every year because they were fed artificial baby milk instead of their mother’s milk.This must be stopped!!
As a mother of six breastfed children, and a former breastfeeding counselor, this is a topic very close to my heart.
To quote Frank Oski, MD, retired editor of the Journal of Pediatrics "Formula feeding is the longest lasting uncontrolled experiment lacking informed consent in the history of medicine."
There are many unhealthy things that corporations spend huge sums of money to promote. However, when it comes to the advertisement and promotion of artificial baby milk, a substance that canradically change the balancebetween life and death for babies all over the world, corporations should not be allowed to advertise or promote it. In at least one country, (I believe it is either Finland or Norway) artificial baby milk is only available by prescription. This is what infant formula should be correctly used for; as a second best substitute for breastmilk, for the small number of women who really do suffer with a physical inability to make enough milk for their babies, or for orphaned or adopted infants. Infant formula should never be promoted or marketed as being an acceptable substitute for breastmilk, and it is immoral to market this product to women that will sacrifice a large part of family income to pay for it, and who live in areas of the world, where making a choice to bottle feed, means that their infant has a dramatically higher risk of dying.
For more information on the unscrupulous marketing of infant formula please go to these websites:
For a more detaileddocumentary go to Youtubeand do a video search for "Formula for Disaster" an excellent documentary on the subject.
For breastfeeding support and information contact
Check out this website for some pretty amazing info and picture about how breastfeeding develops the palate and jaw the way nature intended and how bottle feeding deforms the same
Works cited:
YouTube, "Bottle Baby Deaths"
Gabrielle Palmer, "The Politics of Breastfeeding". London: Pandora Press, 1993.
Dr. Linda Folden Palmer, "The Deadly Influence of Formula in America".
Dr. Jennifer R. Thomas, "What Breastmilk Has That Formulas Don't".
International Baby Food Action Network, "Understanding the Code".
Baby Milk Action Network "Latest News",
Youtube, Formula for Disaster"
Dr. Brian Palmer, DDS, "The Importance of Breastfeeding toTotal Health".
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