Formula milk companies are lobbying to have breast milk substitutes or formula milk declared as ‘food’ to remove it from the purview of health and medicine authorities, enabling them to freely market their products without regulatory oversight, health experts warned on 25-January-2025.
Leading paediatricians associated with Pakistan Paediatric Association (PPA) and health experts also claimed that efforts are being made to take this matter to the Council of Common Interests (CCI) for approval, which could have far-reaching consequences for the health of newborns and infants in Pakistan.
Addressing a press conference at the Karachi Press Club (KPC), senior health experts, including PPA President Prof Masood Sadiq, Prof Waseem Jamalvi, Dr Khalid Shafi, Dr Mohsina Noor Ibrahim, Dr Saadullah Chachar, and Dr Hayat Buzdar, congratulated the Sindh government on enacting the Sindh Protection and Promotion of Breastfeeding Act.
They urged the federal government and other provincial administrations to pass similar legislation to protect breastfeeding and regulate formula milk marketing.
“Breast milk not only provides optimal nutrition but also offers antibodies and protection against various bacteria and viruses, helping babies build immunity and confidence,” Prof Masood Sadiq, president of the Pakistan Paediatric Association, said.
He lamented that Pakistan has one of the lowest breastfeeding rates globally, with only 48.4 percent of mothers exclusively breastfeeding their babies during the first six months.
The experts highlighted that half of Pakistan’s mothers do not breastfeed their babies, resulting in a high prevalence of premature births, diarrhea, respiratory infections, and other illnesses that claim the lives of countless infants.
They stressed the critical importance of exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of a child’s life and urged strict regulatory oversight of formula milk marketing.
Recently, the Sindh Assembly passed the Sindh Protection and Promotion of Breastfeeding Act with support from the Pakistan Pediatric Association (PPA), Unicef, and the Sindh Health Department.
This legislation includes provisions to regulate the sale and marketing of formula milk and other nutrition-related products.
“The act prohibits formula milk advertisements in hospitals, restricts its sale without a doctor’s prescription, and mandates the formation of a regulatory board with representatives from the Sindh Healthcare Commission and PPA,” Prof Masood Sadiq explained.
The board is tasked with monitoring compliance and penalizing violations. Hospitals found promoting formula milk will face heavy penalties, including fines of up to Rs500,000 and six months’ imprisonment for offenders.
“If formula milk is deemed necessary in emergency cases, it will only be used under strict medical supervision for a limited time,” said Dr Saadullah Chachar.
The paediatricians expressed concern that formula milk companies are actively lobbying against similar laws at the federal and provincial levels, fearing restrictions on their marketing strategies.
“These companies are using all possible means to derail breastfeeding protection laws across the country,” Dr Khalid Shafi remarked.
Experts warned that declaring formula milk as food would make it freely available in markets and strip away the regulatory oversight that currently governs its marketing and sale.
They urged parents, lawmakers, and healthcare providers to recognize the dangers of undermining breastfeeding promotion and to resist pressure from formula milk companies.
“Formula milk does not build immunity like breast milk, leaving children vulnerable to infections and diseases,” Dr Mohsina Noor Ibrahim emphasized, adding that protecting and promoting breastfeeding should be a national priority to ensure the health and well-being of future generations.
Published in News Daily on 26-January-2025.
