Stemming commercial milk formula marketing: Now is the time for radical transformation to build resilience for breastfeeding

Abstract

One of the striking messages of the Lancet Breastfeeding Series1–3 is that the consumption of commercial milk formula (CMF) by infants and young children has been normalised. More children are consuming CMF than ever before. 2 Only 48% of the world’s infants and young children are breastfed as recommended,4 despite the huge body of evidence on the lifelong benefits of breastfeeding. This situation reflects the stranglehold the CMF industry has on governments, health professionals, academic institutions, and increasingly on caregivers and families through pervasive social media.

Description

Keywords

World Health Organization (WHO), Public health, Marketing, Young children

Citation

Doherty, T. et al. (2023). Stemming commercial milk formula marketing: Now is the time for radical transformation to build resilience for breastfeeding. The Lancet, 401(10375),415-418. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(23)00095-8