DOH urged to regulate ads on infant formulas

Fearing that this is directly and indirectly affecting the breastfeeding behaviors of mothers, councilor Edgardo Labella is urging the Department of Health to regulate advertisements on infant formulas.

Labella expressed concern over the proliferation of commercials promoting infant formulas, which he described as "misleading marketing tactics of milk companies".

In a proposed a resolution, he said that even the most expensive milk substitutes and infant formulas cannot compete with breast milk in terms of nutritive value.

The councilor cited the study conducted by the World Health Organization which revealed that 16,000 children nationwide die each year because they are not breastfed.

Labella said the reason for the declining number of breastfeeding mothers is due to numerous milk companies engaged in aggressive, profit-oriented marketing of expensive milk substitutes and infant formulas that affect the breastfeeding behaviors of mothers.

He said that the Executive Order No. 51 or the Milk Code of the Philippines have been regulating the proliferation of milk substitutes and infant formulas. However, the Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association of the Philippines filed a lawsuit against the officials of the DOH to stop the enforcement of the law.

The Supreme Court eventually issued a temporary restraining order against the revised implementing rules and regulations of the law.

With this, Labella said the good momentum of the government in promoting breastfeeding and regulating proliferation of milk substitutes was stopped.

"The enforcement freeze on the RIRR of the Executive Order No. 51 will certainly make a huge dent in the continuing campaign to taper down, if not totally eradicate, the pernicious effects of high advertised milk substitutes and infant formulas into the health of babies who are dependent on the same as primary source of nutrition," Labella said in his proposed measure.

He added that the DOH, being a lead agency in promoting public health, should find ways and means to address the health problems confronting the Filipino babies and children especially those belonging to the less-privileged families even if the TRO is still in effect.

"It cannot be denied that gestures of support for our country's efforts to regulate the reportedly misleading, deceptive and aggressive media campaign of milk substitutes and infant formulas by milk companies in the Philippines continue to pour emanating from both local and international organizations committed to better health for babies and mothers worldwide," Labella said. - Wenna A. Berondo/BRP