Breastfeeding promotion network says 15 brands violate baby food laws

NEW DELHI, MAY 21: Several baby food brands are violating laws by using social media to advertise products like infant milk substitutes, according to a report released by the Breastfeeding Promotion Network of India (BPNI).

The report, which flags 15 top brands, was released coinciding with world breastfeeding day on May 21.

BPNI, which has been mandated by the government as a child welfare NGO to flag such violations, said a new trend has emerged in promoting these products using social media, and unsuspecting influencers are becoming partners in crime.

Moreover, some of these products are being promoted by celebrities like Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma and Shahid Kapoor’s wife Meera Rajput Kapoor.

“New tactics of involving celebrities, influencers, mothers, and mother bloggers on Instagram and YouTube is certainly catching on,” said the report adding that knowingly or unknowingly, they are also infringing the law and are liable to be penalized.

BPNI said there is no system to monitor and investigate such violations, which have remained unchecked. The law prohibits any kind of “promotion” of food products or feeding bottles, including advertising, incentives or directly reaching out to moms, for children under the age of 24 months.

“Social Media is the new-generation promotion playground of the baby food, bottle and equipment industry; therefore, it must be monitored and notified diligently. Digital technologies used for marketing breastmilk substitutes are proven to be contributing to increasing sales and consumption of baby formula across the world. Our findings confirm WHO’s observations in their reports,” said the report “Indian Law Baby Food Offenders.”

Indian government enacted the Infant Milk Substitutes Feeding Bottles, and Infant Foods (Regulation of Production, Supply and Distribution) Act 1992, and Amendment Act 2003 (IMS Act) in order to control marketing of the baby foods as a follow-up to the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes and subsequent World Health Assembly resolutions.

BPNI said that such advertisements influence mothers as celebrities have a huge public influence.

This is the tip of the iceberg- findings of few concerned people and a comprehensive assessment is needed yearly; the government may consider commissioning a report and allocate funds for this work,” said Arun Gupta, one of the four founder paediatricians of BPNI.

“Government may launch an investigation as per law into alleged violations through appropriate mechanisms and prosecution if required. Government, through its communication, could encourage citizen reporting of violations; BPNI offers its Mobile App “Stanpan Surakhsha” for this purpose,” said Gupta, who is the Central Coordinator of BPNI.

Speaking with this paper, he said, undermining breastfeeding and complementary feeding through commercial influence also violates a child’s right to life and health and the mother’s right to breastfeed.

Non-stop promotion continues even after 32 years of the established law, and new players are emerging and promoting their food products aggressively in India in violation of this law, he said.

“Mothers do fall prey to their misinformation and profit-driven tactics and the celebrities have huge public influence”, says Nupur Bidla, the national coordinator of BPNI.

“Social Media is the new generation promotion playground of the baby food, bottle and equipment industry; therefore, it needs to be monitored and notified diligently”.

BPNI members continue to be vigilant about any kind of promotion of infant milk substitutes, infant foods, or feeding bottles, which are three products under the scope of this law, Gupta added.

He said they have already flagged these 15 violations of different sections of the IMS Act by major baby food and feeding-bottle companies and the platforms used by them with the union health ministry.

BPNI has also written a letter to Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan and National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), chief Priyank Kanoongo and has flagged these blatant violations of baby food law by these companies.

-TNIE