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The International
Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes is needed to
protect parents from the unethical and powerful role that
marketing plays in luring parents away from breastfeeding.
Our aim is to raise awareness of the Code
and the answer the common questions posed by health workers.
Q1: What is the meaning
of the code?
The Code refers to a set of recommendations
that were introduced by the World Health Organization and
UNICEF and endorsed by the World Health Assembly in 1981.
Q2: What is the aim of
the Code?
The aim of this Code is to contribute to the
provision of safe and adequate nutrition for infants, by the
protection and promotion of breastfeeding, and by ensuring
the proper use of breastmilk substitutes, when these are
necessary, on the basis of adequate information and through
appropriate marketing and
Q3: Why have the code?
It has been universally recognized that the
promotion of commercial baby food products have a negative
impact on the spread and continuation of breastfeeding, the
Code has been approved to end the practices that impede the
marketing of breast-feeding.
Q4: Who voted in favor of
the Code?
All States participating in the World Health
Assembly in 1981, that is 119 countries, voted in favor of
the application of the recommendations except for one
country which was the United States of America.
Q5: Is there only one
code?
Yes, but many countries have passed national
laws or regulations based on the outlines provided by the
International Code of Marketing Breastmilk Subsititues.
This is its purpose as the best way for the
application of the code is to apply it by local law and
regulation in each country.
Q6: What are the products
covered by the scope of the Code?
The Code applies
to the marketing, and practices related to the following
products: all breastmilk substitutes, including infant
formula; other milk products, foods and beverages, including
bottle-fed complementary foods, when marketed or otherwise
represented to be suitable for use as a partial or total
replacement of breast-milk; feeding bottles and teats. It
also applies to their quality and availability, and to
information concerning their use.
Q7-Who is responsible for
the implementation of the Code?
It’s the producers and distributors of these
products who are responsibility to honor the code.
Ccountries are requested to set systems to
report irregularities and deal with them. Health workers
also need to be informed about the contents of the code, so
that they can protect mothers and infants from trade
promotion.
Q8: Does the code target
a time or specific country?
No, the code is set to regulate laws of
marketing of breastmilk substitutes in any country.
Q9: How can you assess
whether a marketing practice is incompatible with the
objectives of the Code?
The main factor to evaluate is to ask
whether these practices are designed to discourage or
undermine breastfeeding or not.
( for more details read question 12).
Q10: What are the things
that aren’t prevented by the code?
·
The codes doesn’t prevent the production of breastmilk
substitutes.
·
Code does not affect the proper use of supplementary food
after the age of 6 months.
Q11: What is prohibited
in health-care facilities?
-
Distribution of free
samples to mothers.
-
Posters and brochure that
market the company's products and it have its logo on
it.
-
Distributing gifts to
health workers or mothers.
-
Distribution of educational
pamphlets produced by the companies on breastfeeding or
child care.
-
The provision of grants and
donations from companies to health-care facilities such
as devices, and products.
-
Distribution of books and
publications that market company's products to health
workers.
-
Sponsorship of formula
manufacturing companies for meetings, seminars or
professional and support staff to attend these meetings.
Q12- Is it possible to
summarize the code?
The code contains the following 10 Points:
-
Not to advertise their
products directly to the public.
-
Not to distribute free
samples to mothers or family members.
-
Not to advertise their
products in health care centers and that includes
distributing free goods or giving discounted products.
-
Prevent sales man from
these companies to communicate or advise mothers.
-
Not to distribute gifts or
free samples to health care workers and if they do
receive them not to pass them to mothers.
-
Not to use any images that
suggest that artificial feeding has an advantage over
breastfeeding, including pictures of infants on their
brochures.
-
Information provided to the
heath workers (about the product) must be scientific and
factual.
-
All information on the
artificial nutrition - including the labels on the
product - must explain the benefits of breastfeeding,
and the cost and risks associated with artificial
nutrition.
-
Products not suitable for
infant feeding, such concentrated or sweetened milk,
should not be promoted for babies.
-
Producers and distributors
must commit to apply the Code, even in countries that
have not issued any laws or procedures related to the
code.
Notes:
WHO and UNICEF recommend the following:
·
Babies should be breastfeed exclusively from the breast
until the age of 6 months.
·
Continued breastfeeding until the baby is 2 years old as
well as adding complementary, suitable family foods that are
clean.
Decision of the world health organization
was:
To recommend that health workers obtain a
copy of the manual called “Protecting Infant Health, a
Health Workers’ Guide to the International Code of Marketing
of Breastmilk Substitutes”.
The English copy is available
from:
IBFAN/ ICDC
International Baby Food Action Network
International Code Documentation Center
PO Box 19
10700 Penang
Malaysia
Tel: +60-4-656 9799
Fax: +60-4-657 7291
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