Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #121483

Anne Merewood, MA, IBCLC, Division of General Pediatrics, Boston University School of Medicine, Maternity Building, 4th Floor, 91 East Concord St., Boston, MA 02118, 617-414-6455, anne.merewood@bmc.org

Infant formula is an $8 billion a year industry. In developing countries, health hazards of formula feeding include diarrhea and death; in developed nations, risks include increased rates of diabetes, leukemia, necrotizing enterocolitis, and ear infections. The industry has a long history of misleading advertising and unethical marketing strategies. The Nestle boycott ‘of the 1970s' is ongoing. Formula companies flagrantly violate the WHO's International Code of Marketing of Breast Milk substitutes, and derailed the DHHS' National Breastfeeding Awareness Campaign (NBAC) in 2003. Industry pressure led to withdrawal and modification of the Ad Council's risk-based commercials. The American Academy of Pediatrics accepts millions of dollars annually from formula advertising, and was implicated in the industry's access to sensitive advertising material before the official NBAC launch. Attempts to weaken industry influence include the CDC's new, national breastfeeding rate data collection system, which replaces reliance on infant formula data. The WHO/UNICEF Baby-Friendly hospital initiative is gaining momentum. The NBAC scandal featured prominently in the national media, with a 20/20 expose featuring the link between the AAP and banned commercials. The formula industry is finding blatant interference more difficult. This session will reveal the uglier side of the baby-feeding debate, explain how breastfeeding activists have countered industry moves through increased, evidence-based research, and share strategies for coalition building with other advocacy groups.

Learning Objectives:

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.