Manufacturers of breastmilk substitutes are aggressively marketing the products across China, according to new research supported by Alive & Thrive, the China Development Research Foundation, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention and Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology.
The companies are advising mothers to use infant formula and providing free samples in efforts that target women from varied socioeconomic groups and places of residence during pregnancy, childbirth, the postnatal period, and beyond. The efforts clearly violate the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes (BMS Code) and undermine breastfeeding.
The analysis underscores the urgent need for stronger regulation and enforcement of the Code to restrict the promotion of BMS in China, especially within health facilities and online, to better protect women and children from the harmful impact of BMS marketing.