Email update : 12 February 2011
- Help stop misleading health claims - and watch Baby Milk Action on the BBC Politics Show Sunday (East Midlands - available on the internet).
- Members' benefits - try the first module in our new online training course free of charge
- ICDC Legal Update: exposé of the latest baby food company marketing practices
Help stop misleading health claims
Baby food companies like to claim that adding an ingredient (DHA) to baby milks and baby foods helps visual development.
Yet, according to independent reviews of the science, adding DHA to formula has 'no proven benefit' over basic formula. If it did, we'd want to see it added to all formulas so inferior formula is not sold. |
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Ingredients should not be used for marketing purposes. Claims about benefits of one formula over another hide the risks to health of using formula instead of breastfeeding.
However, a baby food company has applied to the European Union (EU) for authorisation for its claim - and a committee has given its agreement after a meeting behind closed doors. Now Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) are trying to block the approval.
Baby Milk Action is also calling for a change to the authorisation system. At present a claim can be authorised by the EU committee on the basis of company submissions, which may be kept confidential for commercial reasons.
Our Campaign for Ethical Marketing action sheet links to our full briefing - and tells you how to send a message to your representatives in the European Parliament if you are in the European Union:
http://info.babymilkaction.org/cem/cemfeb11
This story is being picked up in the media. Baby Milk Action's Policy Director, Patti Rundall, has been interviewed for the BBC Politics Show East Midlands on Sunday - for details and to watch online, click here.
Members' benefits - try the first module in our new online training course free of charge
The first module in Baby Milk Action's online training course on monitoring the baby food industry is now available for members to try free of charge.
Further modules in the 8-module course will be added over the coming months. The first two modules will be free to members. Non-members will be able to access the modules at a future date.
The course is based on the training the International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN) gives to member organisations around the world. These have been tailored to the situation in the UK and include information on the narrower UK marketing legislation.
For further details on how to register for the course - and how to join Baby Milk Action if you are not yet a member - click here, or see the 'courses' section of our website.
ICDC Legal Update: exposé of the latest baby food company marketing practices
The Legal Update from the IBFAN's International Code Documentation Centre explains the latest strategies used by baby food companies to push their products.
It is an overview of the global monitoring report, Breaking the Rules, Stretching the Rules 2010.
To download the Legal Update, click here.
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