Doctors Push for Ban on Advertising Toddler Milk Formula

Doctors have called for a ban on advertising toddler milk formula to boost breastfeeding rates.

The Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) is pushing for the Federal Government to enforce the World Health Organisation’s new recommendations to extend the ban advertising infant formula to “follow-up formula” and “growing-up milks” for toddlers. The WHO said the move was to “protect, promote and support breastfeeding”.

RACP spokeswoman Associate Professor Susan Moloney, director of pediatrics at Gold Coast Health, said that the marketing of toddler milk was used to advertise infant formulas by stealth. “We are trying to reduce the public exposure to marketing of breast milk substitutes. It’s not as good as breast milk,” she said.

She also said that toddler milks were not essential and cow’s milk or breastfeeding were adequate for children over six months. “It is confusing for parents, it’s consistent, repeated advertising, and it’s quite aggressive at times,” she said.

Australian health authorities targets 50 per cent of mothers to breastfeed exclusively until their baby turns six months old, but only about 15 per cent of women do so.

Mum Natalie Faulkner says she breastfeeds and uses infant formula for her six-month-old son, Jude, since she had trouble with breastfeeding him exclusively. However, after researching about toddler formulas, she said she may not use them for her son.

“I really don’t think you need formula once they get past one year old. I’d rather he just drinks normal milk,” she said.

A federal health spokeswoman said Australia focuses on the baby’s first 12 months, especially in assisting and supporting women to breastfeed exclusively at least until six months. “The current MAIF (Marketing in Australia of Infant Formulas) agreement is adequate to support this aim,” she said.

Source: Couriermail.com.au