Global Obesity Summit Madrid DIARY DATE: CNFSDU45 – Side Event:WHO food profiling tool for regulatory measures. 2 November 2026. 13:45 – 14:45 CET, Scandic Nuremberg Central Hotel / Webcast The planned High-Level Session: Call for Action on 28 October (10:30–13:30…
Upcoming Codex meetings on Nutrition, Food Hygiene and food fraud
Codex meetings on Nutrition, Food Hygiene and food fraud New Codex WEBSITE https://codex.fao.org/ For more information about IBFAN’s work at Codex CLICK HERE CCFICS28 Codex Committee on Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification Systems. 12/10/2026 – 17/10/2026 Perth, Australia.…
UPF and other media coverage
India This great article tracks the early struggles and successes of IBFAN’s Breastfeeding Promotion Network of India. 7. Civil Society BPNI article BPNI is still doing tremendous work to protect child health. India wanted red flags on chip packets and…
Lancet: Outrage over UN-Nestlé partnership
Outrage over UN-Nestlé partnership OPEN letter When the UN Partners With the Harm It Is Meant to Prevent Health Policy Watch, Inside View 08/05/2026 • Unni Karunakara An Open Letter, now signed by 600 academics, health-workers and campaigners has…
New statements and reports
Ultra-processed Foods and Children: State-of-the-art review 2.12.25 This state-of-the-art review on ultra-processed foods (UPF) and children consolidates evidence from around the world on how rising UPF consumption undermines children’s nutrition, health and well-being. The review finds strong evidence that UPF…
WHO and UNICEF brief on Global Nutrition Targets 2030
Global Nutrition Targets 2030 Breastfeeding Brief from WHO and UNICEF PDF Overview Exclusive breastfeeding – defined as the practice of only giving an infant breast-milk for the first 6 months of life (no other food or water) – has the single largest…
UN General Assembly: US blocks consensus on NCD Declaration
BREAKING: UN Declaration on Noncommunicable Diseases Fails to Win Approval After US Foils Consensus Non-Communicable Diseases 25/09/2025 • Elaine Ruth Fletcher WHO website NGO letter Food industry must be held accountable for driving rising obesity and ill health…
Case study of Access to Nutrition Initiative’s Global Index
Corporate accountability in food system governance? A case study of the Access to Nutrition Initiative’s Global Index Penelope Milsom, Nathan Dumont-Leblond and David McCoy (2025). Corporate accountability in food system governance? A case study of the Access to Nutrition Initiative’s…
UNICEF Report: Feeding Profit How food environments are failing children.
Feeding Profit How food environments are failing children. United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Feeding Profit. How food environments are failing children. Child Nutrition Report 2025, UNICEF, New York, September 2025. Link to full and brief UNICEF report in many languages…
The Governments 10 Year Health Plan prompts Parliamentary questions
Fit for the Future: The 10 Year Health Plan for England Presented to Parliament by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care by Command of His Majesty. July 2025 The plan rightly focuses on prevention but, at the…
Draft Standard for Foods for Older Infants and Young Children
CODEX COMMITTEE ON NUTRITION AND FOODS FOR SPECIAL DIETARY USES (CCNFSDU) Draft Standard for Foods for Older Infants and Young Children Baby Milk Action attends Codex either as IBFAN, ENCA or sometimes as IACFO. Here are the comments that…
Adjournment Debate on infant feeding. The House of Commons 1st July 2025
Following the launch of the World Breastfeeding Trends Initiative Report last week, Jess Brown-Fuller, Liberal Democrat MP for Chichester, led an Adjournment Debate on Infant feeding this evening, Tuesday 1 July 2025 in the UK House of Commons this evening.…
House of Lords calls on on Government to take much stronger action
Transcript of the Debate Baby Milk Action response 8.4.24 @HLFoodObesity. Mar 27 At 10am on 28 March 2025, a debate on our report ‘Recipe for health: a plan to fix our broken food system’ is scheduled in the House of…
Government response to Food, Diet and Obesity Committee
30 January 2025 The UK Government has responded to many strong recommendations in the House of Lords Food, Diet and Obesity Committee inquiry report, Recipe for Health: a plan to fix our broken food system. The House of Lords report…
Thailand Bans Advertising for Toddler Milk
Regulation Thailand Bans Advertising for Toddler Milk by Heather Vogell Dec. 24 2024 With new rules, Thailand joins three dozen countries that have taken steps to regulate toddler milk ads. The action follows a ProPublica investigation that detailed how the…
Life long risks of sugars in baby foods and double standards prompt calls for transparency and regulation.
The harm caused by manufacturers of sweet processed baby foods is at last being exposed and prompting calls for transparency and regulation. Researchers from the University of Southern California (31.10.24) have found that cutting sugar in the first 1,000 days…
Codex dithers on sugar and opens door to risky labelling in emergencies and through technology
Codex dithers on sugar and opens door to risky labelling in emergencies. Codex Committee on Food Labelling. CCFL48 27/10/2024 – 01/11/2024 | Quebec City, Canada The WHO/FAO global standards setting body, Codex Alimentarius, met twice in October –in Dresden, Germany…
Petition launched and delivered to Nestlé’s Swiss HQ with 10m symbolic sugar cubes
Media coverage: HERE HERE HERE HERE Nestlé am Pranger: Protest in Vevey nach Skandal um Babynahrung – 20 Minuten Nestlé visé par une pétition contre le sucre dans les aliments pour bébés – rts.ch – Economie Sucre dans les…
COMPILATION: EU lobby on sugar
European Parliament votes for big reductions in sugar in baby foods and prohibitions on labelling at too early an age. EU Council conclusions on Childhood Overweight and Obesity Update on Sugar in baby foods: JRC report published Public…
Will our UK politicians protect UK rights to legislate in the public interest?
Part of the new Government’s strategy is to grow the economy. Based on IBFAN’s long experience advocating for policy coherence with WHO recommendations we urge that any new Trade deals that the UK enters must not be allowed to…
Media coverage of the sugar report
Media Coverage Sri Lanka Allegation of double standards in Nestle baby products: Nestle Lanka says no added sugar The Sunday Times India Breastfeeding Promotion Network of India Nestle’s Suresh Narayanan on Nespresso & nutraceuticals, sugar in baby food controversy…
Nestlé’s share-price drops to 3-year low as its double standards in sugar are exposed
How Nestlé gets children hooked on sugar in lower-income countries Media coverage of the sugar report STOP PRESS: As Shareholders gathered for the Nestlé Annual meeting in Switzerland on 18th April, the company”s share price dropped by over 5% on…
House of Lords inquiry on Food, Diet and Obesity Committee
written evidence BMA HoL8.4.24 25 March 2024 – Food, Diet and Obesity – Oral evidence Committee Food, Diet and Obesity Committee Inquiry Food, Diet and Obesity At 2:15pm: Oral evidence Inquiry Food, Diet and Obesity Prof Carlos Monteiro Professor of…
Ireland called on to co-sponsor a Resolution on Digital Marketing
Senator Pauline Oreilly calls on Ireland to co-sponsor Brazil on a WHA Resolution on Digital Marketing. 21st March 2024 https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/oireachtas-tv/seanad-eireann-live/ Fantastic speech by Senator Pauline Oreilly just now in the Seanad Éireann. * Minister Niall Collins, responded for Government…
2023: SACN report on diets of young children
Feeding young children aged 1 to 5 years find formulas contribute 50% of free sugars intake in consumers Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN). July 2023. SACN’s webpage Conclusion on Drinks Evidence from DNSIYC and NDNS indicated that: formula milks…
2023:Codex green-lights wasteful, sweetened Ultra-Processed drinks for older babies
2023 Codex green-lights wasteful, sweetened, Ultra-Processed drinks for older babies 46th Codex Commission meeting: 27.11.23 – 2.12.23 Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Rome March 23 Nov 22 FINAL REPORT List of participants WEB-STREAM IBFAN has been attending the 46th…
WHO Guideline for complementary feeding of infants and young children 6–23 months of age
PDF of Guideline WHO link to GUIDELINE WHO Guideline for complementary feeding of infants and young children 6–23 months of age. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2023 This guideline supersedes the Guiding Principles for Complementary Feeding of the Breastfed Child (1)…
Summer update – WBW – Global Congress
s World Breastfeeding Week (1-7 August) – Making a Difference for Working Parents REGISTER HERE for the Global Breastfeeding Coalition Webinar at 2pm Geneva time. The right to maternity protection for mothers who work outside the home is the theme of this…
New essential publications on the health risks of Ultra-Processing
___________________________________________________________ Ultra-Processed Foods marketed for infants and young children in the UK This new report from the deservedly widely trusted charity, First Steps Nutrition Trust (FSNT) follows on from Chris van Tulleken’s book and is yet more essential reading.…
Is “small quantity lipid nutrition supplement” (SQ-LNS) a sustainable and pragmatic strategy to prevent malnutrition?
World Nutrition Issue Vol 14 No 1 (2023) Is “small quantity lipid nutrition supplement” (SQ-LNS) a sustainable and pragmatic strategy to prevent malnutrition? PDF of WN article Introduction by Ted Greiner. Arun Gupta, Dr IBFAN Nutrition Advocacy in Public Interest -India(NAPi)…
Weak global trading standards and the climate crisis – why Codex must step up
Weak global trading standards and the climate crisis – why Codex must step up Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC45) 21-25th November 2022 – in Rome and on line. Click here for the Codex agenda and papers and PAGE DOWN for comments.…
WHO on World Breastfeeding Week: Foods for infants and young children: a matter of concern?
https://www.who.int/europe/news/item/03-08-2022-foods-for-infants-and-young-children–a-matter-of-concern Foods for infants and young children: a matter of concern? 3 August 2022 News release World Breastfeeding Week, held on 1–7 August each year, sparks discussions across the WHO European Region around the growing international concern about infant…
Global trading standards must follow WHO in restricting harmful marketing
Global trading standards must follow WHO in restricting harmful marketing 75th World Health Assembly, Geneva, 22-28th May, 2022 IBFAN, the global network that has helped governments stop harmful marketing of baby feeding products for the last 40 years, attended…
Baby Food marketing on WHO’s agenda – will the Civil Society voice be stifled?
Baby food marketing on WHO’s agenda – will the Civil Society voice be stifled? WEBCAST of the EB IBFAN STATEMENTS Members of the EB The 150th session of WHO’s Executive Board (EB) 24-29th January. For the first time…
Nestlé cancels its ‘Free Stokvel Mom and Child Forum’ following protests
FOOD JUSTICE Nutrition activists urge Nestlé to cancel ‘Free Stokvel Mom and Child Forum’ saying it violates SA regulations By Mark Heywood and Michelle Banda• 12 August 2021 Note: At 8.50 am on Friday, August 13, this article was updated following…
Closure of the EU Platform for Action on Diet
Closure of the EU Platform for Action on Diet_signed (see previous Blog: NGO left the Platform: July 2019. https://www.babymilkaction.org/archives/22161 Dear Sir or Madam, Please be informed that in order to meet our obligations and objectives stemming from the new…
How companies exploit the COVID-19 crisis
How companies are exploiting the COVID-19 pandemic pretending their marketing through digital social media is ‘Humanitarian’ and that their products build immunity. Examples of Nestlé’s widespread promotion of NanGrow 3 – for babies over one. Nestlé implies that the addition…
Update 49 – Harm caused by the exploitation of Covid, ultra-processing and more
CLICK HERE for UD49 Please let us know if you would like to join Baby Milk Action as a member (to join see www.babymilkacion.org/shop. Our Annual General Meeting (an online Webinar) is open to our members on Tuesday, 29th…
Ultra Processing: What are its risks to health, biodiversity and the planet?
The risks of Ultra Processed Foods (UPFs) The obesity crisis is, at last, prompting some governments to take action on the marketing of foods high in salt, sugar and fat. But the risks of Ultra-Processing to health, biodiversity and the…
Citizen-Petition-argues-toddler-milks-threaten-children-s-health-and-pose-economic-harm-to-families
Thanks to Marsha Walker for sending this good news from the USA regarding action on. the marketing of follow-on/toddler milks. Citizen-Petition-argues-toddler-milks-threaten-children-s-health-and-pose-economic-harm-to-families In a Citizen’s Petition, children’s health advocates are ramping up pressure on FDA to curb the rapidly growing sales…
When the SUN casts a shadow – the human rights risks of multi-stakeholder partnerships
Full report: ENGLISH FRENCH SPANISH 4-page brief February 24, 2020 When the SUN casts a shadow New research study sheds light on the human rights risks of the Scaling up Nutrition (SUN) In the past two decades ‘multi-stakeholder’ partnerships have…
Protected: When the Sun casts a shadow
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NGOs leave EU Platform on Diet, Physical Activity & Health
Platform pages UD46.2014.sm-4 NGOs leave EU Platform on Diet, Physical Activity & Health Stop Press: Page 71 of the revised European Union Health Policy Book, published by the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies. ‘’…The Platform lost momentum when…
Why ‘No Deal’ would be a disaster for human health
Why ‘No Deal’ would be a disaster for human health While EU Legislation on baby food marketing fails to meet WHO marketing requirements on several important areas (1) in terms of food safety and Human Rights, EU laws are some…
Public Health England finds Snacks for babies contain ‘unacceptable’ amounts of sugar
Important new report published by Public Health England Foods and drinks aimed at infants and young children: evidence and opportunities for action Foods_and_drinks_aimed_at_infants_and_young_children_June_2019 In January 2016 the European Parliament – led by the Greens – vote for big reductions in…
Should Exclusive Breastfeeding Still Be Recommended for 6 Months?
Perspective: Should Exclusive Breastfeeding Still Be Recommended for 6 Months? Rafael Pérez-Escamilla Gabriela S Buccini Sofia Segura-Pérez Ellen Piwoz Advances in Nutrition, nmz039, https://doi.org/10.1093/advances/nmz039 Published:31 May 2019 ABSTRACT The WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding of infants for the first 6 mo…
Breastfeeding and Physical fitness
https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/bfm.2019.0043 Exclusive Breastfeeding Is Favorably Associated with Physical Fitness in Children Objective: To examine the potential association between exclusive breastfeeding and its duration on physical fitness (PF) components during childhood. Materials and Methods: A random sample of 5,125 dyads children…
IBFAN protecting child health at the 72nd World Health Assembly
With Fedora Bernard, Katie Campbell, Britta Boutry Stadelmann IBFAN’s team is covering this year’s World Health Assembly that is taking place in Geneva from 20-28th May. It will be followed by a 2-day meeting of the Executive Board (EB). You…
IBFAN’s 3rd Breastfeeding Conference:Breastfeeding and healthy complementary feeding.
Sign up for IBFAN’s 3rd Breastfeeding Conference: Breastfeeding and healthy complementary feeding. Rio Nov 11-15th http://www.enam.org.br/ingles/index.php The International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN) with the support of the Government of Brazil and public universities, proudly host a joint meeting of…
The President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins and Mrs Sabina Higgins to attend screening of Tigers whistleblower film
Irish Examiner A standing ovation and rapturous applause greeted Syed Aamir Raza, as he joined the panel of experts, following a recent private screening of the emotive and powerful movie Tigers. The Last word with Matt Cooper Jen…