Ten Reasons to "Just Say NO!"

to Infant Formula Company Gifts

 

 

For World Breastfeeding Week 2000, Aug. 1-7, the New Mexico Breastfeeding Task Force, a subcommittee of the NM Pediatric Society, launched a state-wide campaign to encourage health professionals to discontinue the practice of accepting gifts from infant formula companies.

 

 

 

 

 
  1. It violates the World Health Organization's Code of Marketing of Breast-Milk Substitutes, which states that baby food companies must not:

-promote their products in hospitals, shops or to the general public
-give free samples to mothers or free or subsidized supplies to hospitals or maternity wards
-give gifts to health workers or mothers
-promote their products to health workers: any information provided by companies must contain only scientific and factual matters.

  1. The AAP "Policy Statement on Breastfeeding" states that "[p]ediatricians are encouraged to work actively toward eliminating hospital practices that discourage breastfeeding (e.g., infant formula discharge packs and separation of mother and infant)."
  2. Breastfeeding success suffers.  Studies show that women who are given formula discharge packs and formula-produced materials prenatally, have a shorter duration of breastfeeding (Howard, et al, 2000 and others).  Primiparas and less-educated mothers are particularly vulnerable.

 

 
  1. It's unethical.  It is not the role of health care professionals to market products, particularly those that endanger rather than support health; it is an obvious conflict of interest.  Margolis (1991) in Pediatrics states, "The gift relationship undermines several of the fundamental duties, nonmaleficence, fidelity, justice and self-improvement of physicians."
  2. Actions speak louder than words.  When health care professionals display prenatal posters with a formula company logo printed on the bottom, or sign up patients for formula company new mother's clubs, the implicit message is endorsement  of that product.
  3. It sends mixed messages.  To educate patients that "breast is best" and then use breastfeeding literature published by formula companies, sends a mixed message.
  4. Formula companies are extremely savvy.  If giving breastfeeding mothers "Breastfeeding Support Kits" didn't result in higher formula sales, why would they bother? Careful marketing research on how best to sell formula has resulted in the free gifts formula companies produce.
  5. Patients need to make informed choices.  Formula companies want to promote their products. Information produced by formula companies about formula products and use is not objective—it is thinly disguised advertising.  Patients need to be told the facts of formula feeding and breastfeeding (from a non-commercial source), not pros and cons, which are inherently subjective.

 

 
  1. Free is not free.  Giving a mother a free first case of formula may appear to be making formula use more affordable. However, gifts and monetary donations are seen in the actual cost of the product.  This means higher cost of formula for all.  Again, formula companies can afford so many free gifts, because they are making a very high profit.

10.       The best gift you can give your patients is support for breastfeeding.  A patient who has been given accurate information, active support, and nurturing care will treasure that gift long after any gift bag has been used and discarded.  They will also appreciate your integrity and their ability to trust you as a professional.

 

 

 

What are Infant formula Company Gifts?

Ø       Patient education materials available for free to physicians offices including pamphlets, posters, videos, magazines.  Some of these even appear to promote breastfeeding, but include advertising for formula.

Ø       "Breastfeeding Support Kits"/Discharge packs:  contained in a cute bag, formula samples, bottles for breastmilk storage, ice packs and product coupons are given to mothers at hospital discharge. 

Ø       New mother's clubs, prenatal magazine subscriptions, coupons, and cases of formula timed to arrive at baby's due date are all sent into the homes of expectant mothers.  Mothers sign up for these clubs themselves, through stores, or via their doctors, hospitals or vital records office.

Ø       Funding for hospital departments, programs and research

Ø       Sponsorship of medical conferences, workshops, etc.

What can you do to remove formula company barriers to breastfeeding?

Ø       Write orders not to give out gift packs.

Ø       Desist in giving out prenatal packs, signing up patients for formula clubs, using formula-produced educational materials.

Ø       Recommend to your hospital administration that formula gift packs be banned, as well as subsidies from formula companies

Ø       Ask for a statement from your hospital's bioethics committee on the legality and ethical principles of marketing products to patients.

Ø       Recommend that your hospital purchase formula, rather than accept it for free.  No other product is received by health care institutions at no cost, in amounts that fulfill the needs of the entire hospital.  If this seems daunting, remember that the more women breastfeed, the less formula will be needed!

Ø       Wear our button that states, "Just Say No to Infant Formula Company Gifts"—email to get yours.

 

 

“SELLING OUT MOTHERS AND BABIES: MARKETING OF BREAST MILK SUBSTITUTES IN THE USA.”

This is a new and incredible book by Marsha Walker, RN, IBCLC, from the National Alliance for Breastfeeding Advocacy.

 

NABA also has a new publication called "Executive Summary: Selling Out Mothers and Babies" which summarizes the findings from the larger book and includes a reproducible sheet of action strategies to rid our institutions of formula influence. This is heavily used as handouts to legislators, policy makers, coalitions, task forces, conferences, etc. At $1 each they are an inexpensive way to get the message out.