Breastfeeding: How dubious advertising tricked us into thinking formula is better

Breastfeeding is essential for children and serves as a bonding experience between mother and child. Photo: Unicef

Breastfeeding is often referred to as the baby's first vaccine, considering its enormous benefits in protecting the child from disease and death. Breastfeeding has proven health benefits for both babies and mothers, providing neonates with all the necessary nutrients, such as proteins, fats, carbohydrates, and fluids essential for their healthy growth and development.

The most preeminent public health journal, The Lancet, published several articles on the benefits of breastfeeding in 2023. The articles illustrate that children are most likely to survive, grow, and reach their optimum potential when breastfed. Early breastfeeding initiation within two hours of birth is suggested, as it effectively reduces neonatal mortality and protects children from chronic diseases. Breastfeeding offers health and immunological benefits, and economic, psychological, and social advantages.

It must be clear that breastfeeding is not only important for children, but also serves as a bonding experience between mother and child, and supports the health of mothers. The American Academy of Paediatrics outlines numerous breastfeeding impacts on a mother's health. It reduces the risk of breast and ovarian cancer, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, etc, which have been rising health burdens in many countries over the last two decades.

Despite the scientific evidence and recognition of breastfeeding's importance in a child's growth, formula milk feeding has become more prevalent. The use of commercial formula milk has aggressively increased in the last two to three decades, with the industry becoming a multibillion-dollar business, generating revenues of more than $55 billion a year, which is alarming for a healthy generation. Many factors have contributed to this scenario and this sector continues to grow.

There are many reasons parents are moving away from breastfeeding. One of the biggest reasons is the influence of formula milk companies' marketing tactics. We live in an era where marketing comes in many forms, and formula milk marketing is personalised and powerful across countries, as companies engage women and children on offline and online platforms. Furthermore, marketing companies provide false information and manipulative tactics that fuel parents' anxiety about their growing children and they worry about problems that may not exist.

The marketing landscape of formula milk is robust and outweighs existing and fragile regulations in Bangladesh and many other countries. This ultimately affects children's health when exposed to formula milk, which is unnecessary and could be avoided. 

Campaigns and advertisements of formula milk companies diminish parents' confidence in breastfeeding, with some women being hugely influenced by the false messages of marketing companies, leading them to start formula milk, despite desiring to breastfeed. Once formula milk is introduced to children, it becomes a permanent habit, and they rely on it entirely.

A global study conducted jointly by WHO and Unicef in eight countries, including Bangladesh, between 2019 and 2021, explored the current formula milk marketing landscape. The report outlined the enormous budget and the deliberate misuse of science fuelling formula milk marketing. 

The report also mentioned that health professionals recommended to nearly 60% of postpartum women in Bangladesh to use a formula-based product. Formula companies purposely target health professionals to promote their products and impose specific information, repeatedly marketing to women. It is crucial to remember that feeding practices during the first two years profoundly impact children's lives; therefore, evidence-based practices free of commercial interests need to be considered solely for the benefit of children.

So how do we avoid the aggressive formula milk marketing and promote breastfeeding to ensure optimum health benefits for the next generation?

Health professionals are society's most respected and trusted members in all countries, and they have a high level of influence, especially in Bangladesh. Formula companies systematically target health professionals to promote their products, making it crucial for them to play a vital role in counter-marketing formula milk.

Apart from this soft strategy, countries should adopt or strengthen regulations to prevent manipulated formula milk marketing. Milk companies must be held accountable for their advertising practices and must maintain a code of conduct. Governments must also strengthen targeted awareness-enhancing activities to promote breastfeeding and discourage formula milk.

Evidence strongly supports exclusive breastfeeding and speaks against formula milk usage. However, in reality, the use of formula milk is increasing sharply in Bangladesh and many other countries. A holistic effort from all levels is critical to tackling this situation for a better future generation. 

The time is now or never. Most importantly, we must remember that breastfeeding is not solely the mother's responsibility; it mostly depends on the country's health governance and health system, which must promote and support families in breastfeeding children and protect families from manipulative formula milk marketing.

Sketch: TBS

Monaemul Islam Sizear and Md Shah Paran are public health system researchers working on a global public health project in Bangladesh. 

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of The Business Standard.