WHO Code

WHO Code of Marketing of Breast milk Substitutes

 Summary 

 ‘In view of the vulnerability of infants in the early months of life and the risks involved in inappropriate feeding practices, including unnecessary and improper use of breast milk substitutes (promoting breast milk substitutes, feeding bottles or teats), the marketing of breast milk substitutes requires special treatment, which makes usual marketing practices unsuitable for these products’. 

What is the WHO Code? 

The WHO (World Health Organization) International Code of Marketing Breastmilk Substitutes was adopted in 1981 by the World Health Assembly (WHO & UNICEF) to promote safe and adequate nutrition for infants, by the protection and promotion of breastfeeding and by ensuring the proper use of breast-milk substitutes, when these are necessary. 

The WHO Code

Nourish & Thrive supports and commits to upholding the WHO Code and only accept sponsors that are committed to upholding the WHO Code. Click the link above for the direct link to documentation from the World Health Organization. World Health Assembly resolutions have clarified the Code and addressed some related issues. Which products fall under the scope of the Code? The Code applies to breast milk substitutes (infant formula) when marketed or otherwise represented to be suitable, with or without modification, for use as a partial or total replacement of breast milk. Special formulas for infants with special medical or nutritional needs also fall under the scope of the Code. Since exclusive breastfeeding is to be encouraged for 6 months, any food or drink during this period is a breast milk substitute and thus covered by the Code. This would include baby teas, juices and waters, as well as cereals, processed baby meals, including bottle-fed complementary foods, and other products marketed or otherwise represented for use before six months. Since continued breastfeeding is to be encouraged for two years or beyond, any milk product shown to be substituting for the breast milk part of the child’s diet between six months and two years, such as follow-on formula, ‘toddler’ or ‘growing up milks’, are breast-milk substitutes and are thus covered by the Code. The Code also applies to feeding bottles, teats and soothers. What does the Code say? The main points in the Code include: • no advertising of breast-milk substitutes and other related products to the public; • no free samples to mothers or their families; • no promotion of products, i.e. no product displays, posters, calendars, or distribution of promotional materials; • no donations of free or subsidised supplies of breast-milk substitutes or related products in any part of the health care system; • no company-paid personnel to contact or to advise mothers; • no gifts or personal samples to health workers; • no pictures of infants, or other pictures or text idealising artificial feeding, on the labels of the products; • information to health workers should only be scientific and factual; • information on artificial feeding should explain the importance of breastfeeding, the health hazards associated with artificial feeding and the costs of using artificial feeding ; • all products should be of a high quality, and unsuitable products, such as sweetened condensed milk, should not be promoted for babies.