PRESS RELEASE Monday 23rd March 2025 REPORT SHOWS UK MOTHERS ARE BEING LET DOWN UK Health Professionals lack training on infant feeding Findings from the UK’s second World Breasfeeding Trends Initiative assessment What happens when a breastfeeding mother is…
UK Government authority calls for follow-up formula ad ban and generic labelling
BFLG-UK response to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) infant and follow-on formula market study: 8 April 2025 UK government authority calls for follow-up formula ad ban and generic labelling Press release 14th February 2025 Baby Milk Action/ IBFAN UK…
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…
CMA (Competition and Markets Authority) publishes Interim Report on formula marketings
BMA CMA response Dec 2024. BFLG RESPONSE. Statement from First Steps Nutrition Trust and Baby Feeding Law Group Press release Infant formula: CMA sets out concerns and potential solutions CMA interim report outlines concerns regarding the infant formula market –…
Compilation on EU and UK legislation
Compilation of some of the press releases and blogs related to EU legislation – a work in progress! Romania: EU legislation and the protection of child health Blog about Romania March 2017 https://www.babymilkaction.org/archives/11290 UK News: specialised formulas more likely…
UK news – FSNT reports on toddler milks
Don’t forget to sign the petition demanding Nestle removes free sugars and sweeteners from baby foods. https://www.babymilkaction.org/archives/43020 The toddler milks with more sugar than a chocolate milkshake – which are putting a THIRD of tots at risk of obesity and…
Remembering the Julie Crawford Award and Stella Glenn – please donate
We were sad to learn from her grandson of the death of Stella Glenn, the mother of Julie Crawford – a former Director of Baby Milk Action. Both were longtime supporters of our work. Jake has set up a fundraising…
Competition & Markets Authority: significant concerns about the behaviour of manufacturers
The Competition and Markets Authority announces significant concerns about the ‘behaviour of manufacturers…’ CMA comprehensive update August 2024 The cost of infant formula in the UK and in many other countries has been increasing unjustifiably rapidly, with an average…
COMPILATION: Greed-flation -Rocketing formula prices: no excuse to resort to commercial schemes.
COMPILATION: Greed-flation The cost of infant formula in the UK and in many other countries has been increasing unjustifiably rapidly, with an average price increase of 24%1 in two years from 2021 to 2023 with a 45% price increase with…
UK News: specialised formulas more likely to fuel obesity
Special baby milk ‘more likely to fuel obesity, tooth decay and digestive problems’ “Nutritionists say nine in 10 babies in the UK given formulas designed for those allergic to cow’s milk do not actually have an allergy.” An Editorial in…
Abbott must pay $495m in infant formula trial for hiding risks
Abbott must pay $495 million in premature infant formula trial for hiding risks, jury finds. Why is all the funding going into risky trials instead of support for breastfeeding, donor milk banking or Kangaroo Mother Care? In the second court…
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…
Consultation of UK legislation on Disclosure of industry payments to the healthcare sector
UK Open consultation Disclosure of industry payments to the healthcare sector Published 4 September 2023. Deadline for comment 11:59pm on 16 October 2023. The UK Government is seeking views on the possible introduction of new secondary legislation to place a…
EU Baby food laws retained for the UK
NEWS: Retained EU Law (REUL) Act published Thanks to the Baby Feeding law Group for alerting us to this news Following months of deliberation and considerations from the Houses of Lords and Commons respectively, the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform)…
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.…
Digital Marketing undermines breastfeeding in Mexico
Following on from WHO’s recent report on the impact of Digital marketing, a new study from mexico provides some new evidence Digital marketing of formula and baby food negatively influences breast feeding and complementary feeding: a cross-sectional study and video…
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…
NEW: WHO UNICEF IBFAN -National implementation of the Code Status report 2022
Marketing of breastmilk substitutes: national implementation of the international code, status report 2022 WHO UNICEF IBFAN https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/354221 This report provides updated information on the status of implementation of the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes (BMS) and subsequent relevant…
Comments on UK DRAFT DHSC Guidance Notes
FINAL GUIDELINES https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/infant-and-follow-on-formula-and-food-for-special-medical-purposes https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/infant-and-follow-on-formula-and-food-for-special-medical-purposes/commission-delegated-regulation-eu-2016127-supplementing-regulation-eu-no-6092013-guidance DRAFT DHSC Guidance Notes on Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/127 (supplementing Regulation (EU) No 609/2013) 16th August 2021 The UK has held a consultation on draft guidance on Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/127 for…
Ask your MP to sign Early Day Motion 92
Ask your MP to support the Code and Resolutions in full FIND YOUR MP EDM (Early Day Motion) 92: tabled on 24 May 2021 Thanks to long time Code supporter Alison Thewliss SNP for sponsoring this Early Day Motion following…
New UK consultations on baby foods and online marketing
Nov 2020 DRAFT PHE proposals for 2023 commercial baby food and drink guidelines. We expect another consultation on marketing and labelling soon with a deadline of January 5th 2021. _____________________________________________________________________________ New public consultation on total ban of online advertising…
Ask your MP to protect breastfeeding, families in crisis and children in working poverty
The Coronavirus crisis is throwing up enormous problems for so many people and its hard to see where, when or how this nightmare will end. You can help by contacting your MP to make sure the following safeguards are in…
Baby Feeding Law Group
The Baby Feeding Law Group https://www.bflg-uk.org/ Who we are The Baby Feeding Law Group UK was founded by Baby Milk Action in 1997 and has been working for over 20 years to strengthen UK baby feeding laws in line…
Media distortion of guidance for Midwives
Following the publication of new Guidance from the Royal College of Midwives there has been a flurry of media interest and some simply appalling media coverage that totally distorts the intent of the guidance. Click Here Thank heavens for Baby…
APPGIFI: Parliamentary Inquiry on the cost of infant formula
APPGIFI: Parliamentary Inquiry on the cost of infant formula http://www.infantfeedingappg.uk/appg-inquiry-infant-formula-costs/ The All Party Parliamentary Group on Infant Feeding and Inequalities has launched an inquiry on the costs of infant formula to families in the UK and the impact that…
French Government calls for global withdrawal of Lactalis formulas
French Government calls for global withdrawal of Lactalis formulas. 14.12.2017 It took almost ten days for the Government of France to react to the scandal of widespread contamination of powdered formula milks produced by the giant French dairy producer Lactalis.…
Corporate power on show at the Conservative conference
Baby Milk Action is not aligned to any political party. Here are some of the notable things I spotted at the Conservative Conference in Manchester in October. Sugar and Nuclear power: With hardly any fringe events on health on the agenda, I was still…
Amazon commercialises the Baby Boxes idea
The decision of the Scottish government to follow the Nordic practice of giving all new mothers Baby Boxes full of useful unbranded things (Click Here) is being exploited by Amazon – who are commercialising and cashing in on the idea with Baby Bundles that…
Global Monitoring Reports
Global monitoring Reports on baby food marketing
Some useful new articles about how business works
How Big Business Got Brazil Hooked on Junk Food As growth slows in wealthy countries, Western food companies are aggressively expanding in developing nations, contributing to obesity and health problems. As growth slows in wealthy countries, Western food companies are aggressively…
Bernadette Wood acceptance speech for Julie Crawford Award 2017
The Julie Crawford Award for Breastfeeding Support for 2017 has been won by Bernadette (Bernie) Wood, a Health Visitor from Suffolk County Council’s Children’s and Young Peoples Services. She was presented the Award today on behalf of the Baby Feeding…
Nestle, Danone, Abbott and Mead Johnson fail to meet RCPCH criteria
On 28th April The Lancet published seven of the many responses to the comment by WHO staff about the new funding policy of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH). The letters are all worth reading. For example, Declan O Brien says…
UK governments can do more to support mothers who want to breastfeed for longer
WBTi report launch, Westminster, 15 November 2015, 19:30 World Breastfeeding Trends initiative report shows how UK governments can help empower mothers to breastfeed for as long as they wish – Report scores countries on action taken to date Media coverage: Daily…
England, NI and Wales: Improvement Notices introduced today to enforce EU formula and baby food marketing rules – companies face criminal charges for non compliance
Baby Milk Action press release 20 July 2016 The UK Government and devolved authorities have today introduced Statutory Instruments updating formula and baby food marketing laws in line with new EU regulations. Although the Regulations fall far short of international minimum standards repeatedly…
UN Committee on the Rights of the Child calls on UK government to better support breastfeeding and regulate the formula industry
Baby Milk Action press release 10 June 2016 Update 14 July 2016: Recommendations from the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights added The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child has issued its concluding observations on the UK…
Mothers need support not pressure – Baby Milk Action presentation to MPs
Click here to share this information using our new format for social media, smartphones and tablets (also works on computers). Baby Milk Action’s presentation to the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Infant Feeding and Inequalities – 17 May 2016…
Members of Parliament to hear how to protect mothers and babies from aggressive baby milk marketing as UK is assessed as failing to protect their rights
Baby Milk Action presentation in Parliament 17 May 2016 – 9:30 am Update: Click here to watch the presentation. (Follow on Twitter #APPGIFI – tweet you MP to ask if they are attending – MP contact details) Baby Milk Action will present…
Nestle press releasing information on breastfeeding and protein to promote SMA brand – while hiding information from parents on why its formula is on clearance sale
Baby Milk Action press release 7 March 2016 (Members of the public in the UK can click here to support the campaign in Parliament to enforce formula marketing regulations) Issuing the results of a survey is an old trick for…
Time to act to enforce the UK formula regulations – not weaken them
Update 20 July 2016: This campaign was successful. The Statutory Instruments implemented today in England and Wales today make Improvement Notices legally binding. See our press release for details. Scotland’s Statutory Instrument also makes certain provisions legally binding, but does not provide…
Those caring people at SMA are just after your money – they have something to sell
A blog by a marketing company called Futureproof employed to recover the SMA brand from its 3rd place position in the UK market has been receiving attention on social media. It reveals the strategies used to present the company to mothers…
SMA brand promotes to half a million ‘We’re mums too’ packs
Thanks to Ethical Sponsorship Ireland for spotting this incredible piece outlining the strategy for getting SMA – owned by Nestlé since December 2012 – back to No 1 spot in the UK. So much more reassuring to think of corporate…
As Nestle boasts of infant formula sales growth, Botswana police file charges over aggressive marketing, while Tesco puts formula with “excessive protein” on clearance sale in breach of UK law
Baby Milk Action press release 18 February 2016 Nestle today launched its latest full-year results, reporting 4.2% organic growth, stating: “Infant formula including growing-up milks, delivered good growth”. This growth comes from systematic violations of baby milk marketing standards adopted…
The Lancet Breastfeeding Series – holding corporations accountable
In part 1 of this article, I reflected on the new Lancet Breastfeeding Series and other significant developments in January concerning our mission to protect breastfeeding and protect babies fed on formula. My focus was on the paper concerning health benefits…
Opportunity for MEPs to protect child health and prevent obesity
CLICK HERE and HERE for media coverage CLICK HERE for Mike Brady’s Campaign Blog about how you can help stop the misleading adverts and bad marketing CLICK HERE for MEPs on the ENVI Committee. Please ask as many as…
Protest over Nestle baby milk promotion at Leicester festival
Baby Milk Action press release 8 September 2015 Nestlé’s aggressive baby milk marketing practices are ever more obvious in the UK following its takeover of the SMA formula brand in 2012. The latest example is Nestlé targeting the public with a stall at the…
Nestle sued over claims of false advertisement of the ingredients in its Gerber baby food
This article is relevant to the ongoing discussions at WHO about inappropriate marketing of foods for infants and young children and shows how foods are ‘idealised’ – not only by baby pictures but by vegetables. Below this article are…
Call for help: Look What They’re Doing in the UK monitoring report
Baby Milk Action is very grateful to members of the public who report cases of aggressive marketing of baby milks, baby foods and feeding bottles and teats to us. Some of these we take up with the companies involved, Trading…
Tell Nestle: stop breaking the rules – SMA promotion targeting young mothers
We have been contacted by supporters concerned that Nestlé is promoting its SMA infant formula brand to mothers through sponsorship of AOL’s online Being Mum videos. We are taking this up with both Nestlé, AOL and the relevant authorities in the UK…
Launch of the Civil Society CRC report
Mike Brady, Helen Gray, myself and Alison Thewliss at the launch of the Children’s Right’s Alliance Civil Society alternative report on the UK implementation of the CRC. Portcullis House 1st July 2015. CRAE_NGO-REPORT_WEB See Page 22 Paras 134 and 135…
Debate on Breastfeeding in the House of Commons, Westminster Hall
See Alison Thewliss Scottish National Party, MP for Glasgow Central (above) leading the debate in the debate on Breastfeeding that took place yesterday – 24th June 2015 WEBCAST (the final item for the day, starts at 4:30 PM) HANSARD (Column 319WH) Do…