The WHO Code is the common name for the "International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes," which was adopted by the World Health Organization in 1981. Recognizing that marketing formula is, by definition, an attempt to reduce the number of breastfed babies, and recognizing that breastfeeding is both a vital public health and economic issue, the USA joined with 118 other nations in ratifying the Code.
What does the Code say?
The WHO Code PROHIBITS certain aggressive infant formula marketing strategies, such as:
1. Promoting
infant formula through health care facilities
2. Lobbying health care personnel with
free gifts
3. Providing free formula samples to
new mothers
4. Using words or pictures in
advertising which idealize bottle feeding
The Code also mandates that formula ads and labels include the facts about the benefits of breastfeeding and the hazards associated with formula feeding.
The Code does not prohibit the existence of infant formula nor the choice to bottle feed. Instead, it seeks to give all women only pure facts about feeding their babies, free of marketing influence, so that they can make free and informed choices. The Code tries to level the playing field so that the superiority of breastmilk — which has no Madison Avenue agency or million dollar marketing budget promoting it —is not lost in the landslide of formula marketing hype.
Why is the Code important?
The WHO Code addresses the primary underlying reason that many women opt not to breastfeed or try and "fail" to breastfeed in the early weeks —they have been swayed by formula marketing tactics which both subvert and mislead the public.
Aggressive formula marketing reduces the rate of successful breastfeeding in two ways. 1. Samples and bottles confuse the baby’s ability to suck correctly at the breast and reduce a woman’s milk supply. 2. Marketing through doctors and hospitals mislead women to see formula as healthy and/or medically necessary.
How can the Code be upheld?
Open any baby magazine; walk into any pediatrics practice. You will see dozens of examples of the WHO Code being ignored. Free samples from maternity wards and pediatricians are routine all over California.
We need legislation which will give the WHO Code teeth. We need to make it clear that marketing infant formula in ways which mislead women will not be tolerated. Formula marketing practices must not present a stumbling block to women who otherwise wish and intend to breastfeed.
BFHI Is A Joint Project Of Unicef And The World Health Organization Aimed At Increasing Breastfeeding Rates And Encouraging An International Standard For Maternity Services. The BFHI Endeavors To Give Every Baby The Best Start In Life By Creating A Health Care Environment Where Breastfeeding Is The Norm, Thus Helping To Reduce The Levels Of Infant Morbidity And Mortality In Each Country.
Baby-Friendly Hospitals Abide By The International Code Of Marketing Of Breastmilk Substitutes By Practicing The Ten Steps To Successful Breastfeeding.