Tag:Pregnant Women

More than half of parents and pregnant women (51%) believe they have been targeted with marketing by formula milk firms, much of which is in violation of international rules on infant feeding practices, according to a new WHO/UNICEF report. The report, How Formula Milk Marketing Influences Our Infant Feeding Decisions, is based on interviews with parents, pregnant women, and health professionals in eight countries: Bangladesh, China, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and Vietnam.  It reveals the formula milk industry's systematic and unscrupulous marketing methods for influencing parents' newborn feeding decisions. According to the research, industry marketing strategies include uncontrolled and intrusive web targeting, sponsored assistance networks and helplines, promotions and free gifts, and promotions and free gifts; and practices to influence training and recommendations among health workers. The messages that parents and health workers receive are often misleading,...