Dairy industry attempts to weaken Brazil's baby milk law
UPDATE: This action has now closed. The Senate voted to protect infant health and mothers' rights by striking down the changes proposed by the Congress as we and our partners were asking. However, this is not the end of the story. See:
http://boycottnestle.blogspot.com/2007/04/
good-and-bad-news-from-brazil.html
Background:
The Brazilian law implementing the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes and subsequent, relevant Resolutions of the World Health Assembly is successfully stopping aggressive baby food marketing practices. Breastfeeding rates have been increasing in Brazil as a result of this and other efforts to promote breastfeeding. It is now under attack by the dairy industry, which puts its own profits before the health of infants and the rights of mothers.
In 2003 Baby Milk Action's supporters joined with others as the dairy industry attempted to weaken the law in the Brazilian Congress. We succeeded on that occasion. Now the industry is trying again. Congress members sympathetic to the industry brought amendments to a law promoting economic growth, arguing that a warning on labels was hampering the dairy industry. Despite opposition mobilized by our partners in Brazil, the law will be weakened if the Sentate does not block the changes.
The law presently requires labels of whole milks to contain a 'Ministry of Health warning' about the risks of using the product for infant feeding.
This has been described my a member of the 'rural platform' of Congress members as an 'injustice'.
They have voted to downgrade the warning to an 'important notice'. |
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Whole milk is a third of the price of infant formula and companies such as Nestlé market whole milk in the infant feeding sections of pharmacies and supermarkets (right - click here for a gallery of shame).
Nestlé refuses to stop this practice, arguing that there are no restrictions on how it markets whole milks (click here for our earlier campaign). |
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One study found that 70% of poor mothers who were using powdered milk for infant feeding used whole milk rather than formula (click here for a case study on the regulations in Brazil, which gives this reference).
It is a mark of the strength of the Brazilian legislation that the concerns of our partners on the ground are about inappropriate use of whole milks. Sponsorship of health workers (principally by Nestlé) is another concern as this creates conflicts of interest. But the advertising seen in the UK and the idealizing infant formula labels as seen in the Philippines (targets of current Baby Milk Action campaigns) are not found in Brazil.
It is also a mark of the desperation of the industry that it wishes to increase sales of whole milks for inappropriate infant feeding by downgrading the warning on labels.
You can help by sending a message to the Minister for Health and Senators along the following lines. You can cut and paste the text into an editing or email programme to personalise it as you wish. Then copy and paste into the emails for the addresses given below.
Brazil's law on the marketing of baby milk, No. 11.265/2006, is seen as an example to other countries as it is ensuring mothers receive correct information about infant feeding. As a result breastfeeding rates are recovering in Brazil and the risks of inappropriate feeding are reduced.
It is a concern to hear that Brazil may weaken the 'Ministry of Health warning' on whole milks. It is essential this warning remains as incorrect use of whole milk is too common.
I hope you will defend infant health and a mother's right to accurate information when this comes up for discussion by rejecting the proposed change to the warning text. |
UPDATE: This action has now closed. The Senate voted to protect infant health and mothers' rights by striking down the changes proposed by the Congress as we and our partners were asking. However, this is not the end of the story. See:
http://boycottnestle.blogspot.com/2007/04/
good-and-bad-news-from-brazil.html
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