WHO Daily update: 26 May 2025 Countries commit to regulate the digital marketing of formula milk and baby foods In a new resolution, Member States agreed to expand the provisions of the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes (the…
IBFAN STATEMENT ON GAZA
IBFAN ON GAZA Urgent Action for Gaza 16th May 2025 After more than four decades working to prevent child illness, suffering and death, IBFAN is well aware of the pain that each loss causes. In more than 160 countries our…
Baby food pouches – why they should be taken off the market
BBC Panorama reveals the shocking truth about baby pouches Highlighting important new research on their poor nutritional quality, this programme on BBC Panorama exposed the growing concerns about commercial baby food pouches. In our view, the programme could have gone…
Report shows UK mothers being let down
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…
WHO Member States call for the regulation of Digital marketing of baby foods
Press Release Read on IBFAN’s website WHO Member States call for the regulation of Digital marketing of baby foods 10th February 2025 In the face of the budgetary and political crisis following the USA withdrawal from WHO, the 156th…
Australia news
https://www.competitiontribunal.gov.au/ The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (the ACCC) has issued a determination in respect of the application for revocation and substitution lodged by the Infant Nutrition Council on 25 March 2024. The Infant Nutrition Council sought authorisation to…
Tesco/Danone ends its High Street milk nurses
STOP Press STOP PRESS: Following the criticism Tesco drops its Danone sponsored scheme. Following criticism from First Steps Nutrition Trust, Baby Feeding Law Group and Baby Milk Action, the supermarket giant Tesco has abandoned its plans to roll out a scheme in…
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…
Plastic Treaty fails: can Codex change and prioritise human and planetory health?
Plastic Treaty fails: can Codex change and prioritise human and planetary health? IBFAN interventions at CAC 47 – Video clips Webcasting of all sessions Documentation of CAC47. Participants Draft Report Stop Press: Sidney Morning Herald investigation into the donations and…
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…
2024:Press Release: EU and Switzerland try to tackle sweetness – the UK wary of ‘probiotic’ claims, Codex starts new work on baby foods
2024:EU and Switzerland try to tackle sweetness – the UK wary of ‘probiotic’ claims, Codex starts new work on baby foods Codex Nutrition meeting in Germany (CCNFSDU44) LIST OF PARTICIPANTS. FINAL REPORT Dresden, Germany, 2-6th October 2024 (IBFAN website)…
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…
IBFAN protecting children again from sweetened UPFs in Codex
Codex PRESS RELEASE IBFAN comments on agenda items 6.2.6.21,8 At the 44th session of the Codex Nutrition meeting in Germany next week (CCNFSDU44) – IBFAN will be once again fighting to protect children from harmful, sweetened, Ultra-Processed, plastic-wrapped products and…
Australian questions industry’s weak voluntary agreement
Draft Determination. Application for revocation of AA1000534 and the substitution of authorisation AA1000665 lodged by Infant Nutrition Council Ltd in respect of the Marketing in Australia of Infant Formula: Manufacturers and Importers Agreement, and associated guidelines. Authorisation number: AA1000665 Date…
News stories: Contaminated feed caused baby’s death, UK to ban online junk food ads
News stories: Friday 13 Sept 2024. Guardian Keir Starmer ready to face down ‘nanny state’ jibes in radical public health drive Junk food ad ban, age limit on energy drinks and expanded water fluoridation among measures planned to help NHS.…
Nestlé Waters fined over allegations of illegal water drilling and deception
Food products Nestlé Waters fined 2 million euros in France 10.09.2024 Nestlé Waters has to pay a fine of 2 million euros in France. The company has concluded a so-called judicial agreement in the public interest (Convention Judiciaire d’Intérêt Public…
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…
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…
COMPILATION: Conflicts of Interest
See Conflict of Interest page: https://www.babymilkaction.org/conflicts-of-interest
COMPILATION: Why Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships are problematic
Compilation: Why Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships are so problematic The need for sound information on infant and young child feeding is at the heart of the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes and the 20 World Health Assembly Resolutions that have…
U.S challenges on baby formula regulations in more than half a dozen countries
The Biden Administration Says Its Trade Policy Puts People Over Corporations. Documents on Baby Formula Show Otherwise. U.S. officials have challenged baby formula regulations in more than half a dozen countries, sometimes after manufacturers complained. Critics say the efforts are…
HISTORY OF THE DEADLY FIGHT AGAINST THE FORMULA INDUSTRY
Putting Babies Before Profits- THE HISTORY OF THE DEADLY FIGHT AGAINST THE FORMULA INDUSTRY. Alive and Thrive
COMPILATION: Research
Petition: 40K people call for immediate halt to an unethical formula study in Uganda and Guinea-Bissau Is ZeroSeparation Astroturfing? How business groups use babies to recruit allies New Lancet series: Revisiting maternal and child undernutrition Nestlé cancels its…
Danone lobbies New Zealand to weaken labelling controls
Food giant warns 441 jobs and $1b of exports at risk from infant formula labelling plan Waikato Times – 22 July 2024 Tom Pullar-Strecker French multinational Danone has warned 441 jobs in Auckland and Otago and $1 billion in annual…
WHO: Reaching informed decision-making on engaging with private sector entities for the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases: a practical tool
Final publication published 2024. Supporting member states in reaching informed decision-making on engaging with private sector entities for the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases: a practical tool. World Health Organization. https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/378209. License: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO IBFAN and many…
COMPILATION: Infant and Young Child Feeding in emergencies
Occupied Palestinian Territory: Focus on Arabic IYCFE tools, Why food and health should not be used as weapons of war” IBFAN Arab world, supported by many IBFAN members, has been holding webinars to show solidarity for Gaza and draw…
COMPILATION: Committee on World Food Security
Committee on World Food Security (CFS) The risks of Multi-stakeholderism, Committee on Food Security, Rome The Code and other safeguards threatened by UN Voluntary Guidelines on Food Will the Food Systems Summit protect human rights and breastfeeding – part…
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…
COMPILATION: Codex Press Releases and comments
Codex Press Releases and comments over the years What is Codex and why does IBFAN attend? Codex is a joint United Nations body created in 1963 by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the FAO to develop food standards, guidelines…
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…
How the US waged a Global Campaign againstBaby formula Regulations
CLICK HERE for the full story https://www.propublica.org/article/how-america-waged-global-campaign-against-baby-formula-regulation-thailand?utm_source=sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=majorinvestigations&utm_content=feature MORE FROM THIS INVESTIGATION Documents Show Internal Clash Before U.S. Officials Pushed to Weaken Toddler Formula Rules Government documents obtained by ProPublica show a stark rift between trade and health officials over international…
Peter Braback on what children say and why firms should stay out of Politics….
“The biggest mistake is to take accusations personally. This was seen in the baby milk case, when the then CEO Arthur Fürer, a man with high values, took the slogan «Nestlé kills babies» personally and filed a lawsuit against the…
Family challenge formula milk firm after baby’s illness
By Michele Paduano BBC Midlands health correspondent The parents of a baby who had hospital treatment say he became ill after being fed formula milk from batches which have been recalled by its maker. A doctor told the family the…
Digital Marketing is out of control – Brazil calls for a Resolution to protect mothers and babies
Douglas Nascimento Santana, speaking for Brazil, said that they intend to propose a World Health Assembly (WHA) Resolution on the digital marketing of breastmilk substitutes. IBFAN PR EB154. Transcript of EB154 debate. Excerpts MS NSA. EB154 Recordings of IBFAN statements…
EU bans misleading and unproven ‘greenwashing’ terms
EU agrees directive banning misleading use of environmental claims on many products Terms such as ‘environmentally friendly’ and ‘biodegradable’ to be banned unless proved by an authority Kevin O’Sullivan Wed Jan 17 2024 – 14:04 https://www.irishtimes.com/business/economy/2024/01/17/eu-agrees-directive-banning-misleading-use-of-environmental-claims-on-many-products/ An EU directive targeting…
Delay, Delay, Delay – industry interference in Sri Lanka
Stop Press: Sri Lanka’s Sunday Times contacted Nestle Lanka about the ‘double standards’ exposé of is added sugar. A spokesperson responded: “We have been providing nutritious, tasty and safe products to Sri Lankans for over 115 years. Our products comply with…
Reports of lead and other contaminants in baby foods
More children added to the toll of those impacted by excessive lead in applesauce | Food Safety News https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2024/02/more-children-added-to-toll-of-those-impacted-by-excessive-lead-in-applesauce/ More than 200 children affected by excessive levels of lead in applesauce Terrifying source of applesauce recall: NJ sends urgent alert…
Nestlé to shut Irish infant formula plant
Irish Times Nestlé to shut Co Limerick infant formula plant Dominic Coyle David Raleigh. Wed Oct 18 2023 The Irish Times reports that Nestle Ireland is to close its factory in County Limerick, because ” demand for infant formula in…
WHO Hosts the first Global Congress on Code implementation
WHO’s first Global Congress on the implementation of the International Code – baby feeding industry not invited. 20-22 June 2023, WHO HQ, Geneva, Switzerland. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) hosted the first Global…
May 2023 Codex labelling: will ‘sustainability’ claims boost trade of harmful products?
May 2023 Codex Labelling: will ‘sustainability’ claims boost trade of harmful products? The 47th Codex Committee on Food Labelling (CCFL) will meet in Ottawa, Canada May 15 to 19 2023. The Session will also be broadcasted in listening mode in…
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)…
WBC4. IBFAN’s World Breastfeeding Conference in CAIRO
IBFAN’s World Breastfeeding Conference in Cairo organised by IBFAN ARAB WORLD Promo video of the Event WBC4 Call to Action (12) Spanish Portuguese French Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, Steve Wearne. Chairperson of the Codex Alimentarius Commission 2 minute welcome. 7 Minute Codex…
2023:After 10 years of struggle, Codex puts child health before trade at last
CAC letter April 23 IBFAN/ENCA/ILCA team Ellie Mulpeter, Maryse Arendt, Elisabeth Sterken, Patti Rundall, Manuel Abede, Rodrigo Vianna 2023: After 10 years of struggle, Codex puts child health before trade at last. PDF of this Press Release FINAL CCNFSDU REPORT.…
The Billionaires that Made our World: Gates
The Billionaires that made our world: Gates Feb 15, 2023 This must-see C4 Dispatches Investigation doesn’t address nutrition issues and the Multi-stakeholder entities such as SUN and GAIN that he has funded, but it does allow some great comments from…
UK Parliament debate on Lancet Breastfeeding series
April 2023 Thanks to Barbara Crowther for telling us that the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld a case of Kendamil marketing which breached the code and conflated infant formula and follow on milks, as well as making inappropriate health…
Turkish/Syrian Earthquake: Mother keeps baby alive for 55 hours with breastfeeding
STOP PRESS: Thanks to Barbara Crowther of Sustain, who tells us that the mother was rescued too and both of them reunited with the father and their 3 year old who had both been rescued before them. It is the…
Lancet Breastfeeding Series: ‘Underhand’ formula milk ads stop millions from breastfeeding, experts say
LANCET BREASTFEEDING SERIES 2023 Global launch event: The Series will be launched at a hybrid event in London at 12:30-14:00 UK time on Wednesday 8th February, co-hosted by The Lancet, WHO and Children in All Policies. More information is available here and it will also…
“Big win over Nestle! Over 17 years of fighting!
Big win over Nestlé – Over 17 years of fighting – A fight for health food security, human rights, justice and truth Whistleblowing, Safety and Fraud Facebook Statement from Yasmine Motarjemi: I just learned that Nestlé is waiving the federal appeal…
“Improper political interference” in US baby foods puts health and scientific integrity at stake .
US Oversight Subcommittee Staff Report Reveals Top Baby Foods Contain Dangerous Levels of Toxic Heavy Metals (Feb 4th 2021) FDA responds to questions about report on lead, other toxins in baby food. (17th February) EPA Takes Action to Protect…