Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett’s thought-provoking article titled “Formula milk advert restrictions are patronising – let parents decide what’s best” challenges the current state of formula milk marketing. According to a study published in the Lancet, global spending on formula milk marketing by companies amounts to billions of dollars each year. This staggering figure does not even account for lobbying and social media efforts. The Lancet study highlights how commercial formula marketing portrays normal infant behaviors as abnormal or indicative of parental inadequacy. For instance, it suggests that a rash, crying, posseting, or restlessness in infants might be due to allergies and promotes formula as a solution.
The United Kingdom, with one of the lowest breastfeeding rates in Europe, urgently needs to enhance its regulation of formula milk marketing while simultaneously providing better support for breastfeeding mothers. Cosslett acknowledges that the choice of feeding lies with women, but characterizing restrictions on unethical marketing as “patronizing” inadvertently supports capitalistic exploitation and profit-seeking. Instead, parents require reliable information and support from trustworthy sources, which formula milk companies are not.
Dr. Tony Waterston
Retired consultant paediatrician and World Health Organization consultant
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