One of the biggest complaints I’ve read from formula-feeding mums on Irish parenting forums is that they have very little access to information about the different formulas available, short of going to the supermarket and reading the packs. As you know, in the EU, advertising of infant formula is not permitted.
Many mothers end up choosing the formula that was given to them in the hospital, so I imagine that there is probably fierce competition among the companies to supply the maternity hospitals!
In any case, I frequently read that mothers are frustrated by the ban on advertising, saying that all the information should be available to them, that they are intelligent enough to make up their own minds.
But it’s not about the consumer’s intelligence, these laws exist to rein in the blatant lies and overwhelming misinformation that formula companies use to coerce parents into choosing their brand. Have a look at Baby Milk Action’s analysis of which formula is “best”
On the basis of the information so far, we have learned that Milupa claims to be the closest to breastmilk, so does Cow & Gate and so does Farley’s…. perhaps SMA is the closest to breastmilk?
So which is the best infant formula? If you try to decide on the basis of what companies tell you, then you get nowhere. They are commercial organisations and aim to convince that their formula is the best.
But the claims we see on formula packaging here are really only the tip of the iceberg. Remember companies are very restricted in the claims they can make and the imagery they can use (although they are constantly skirting around the weakly-enforced regulations).
Mamabear at The International Breastfeeding Symbol recently drew my attention to some of the advertising that formula companies do in the United States, where there are no such restrictions. Their claims are shocking, here’s a few!
From PBM (Bright Beginnings):
* Enriched with the breast milk lipids DHA and ARA which have been demonstrated in clinical studies to improve infant mental and visual development.
* Contains lactose, a carbohydrate that occurs naturally in breast milk.
* Provides nutrients found naturally in mother’s milk that help develop the immune system.
Which leads us onto this gem
Bright Beginnings is designed like breast milk to satisfy the unique nutritional needs of growing infants.
“Designed like breast milk”, what on earth does that mean?
All the other companies have the same contains DHA, same as breastmilk, contains breastmilk fats claims, but the prize has to be given to Enfamil, who show scientifically that their formula has the power to make your baby see better and make them a whole 7 points smarter! ooohhh…..
Now that’s impressive, especially the line “The longer they use Enfamil, the better their visual improvement”. Read Baby Milk Action’s report on the studies used to “support” these claims and the companies involved in their funding!
What a load, so you can see why we can’t rely on these companies to give us straightforward information.
You all know I’m very pro-breastfeeding and I think big businesses can’t be trusted one little bit, so I wholeheartedly agree on the ban on infant formula advertising.
I’m also a realist and therefore I think parents who choose to formula feed have the right to unbiased comparative reports which are not funded by the formula manufacturers!
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Brilliant entry! Thanks for linking to me. I’m going to go investigate the studies referenced by Enfamil again and see if there’s any sense to be made from this. The first time I checked, the studies they referenced had nothing to do with eyesight, and certainly not the very specific claims they make with their little half-blurry duck picture…
I’m happy for Ireland that formula advertising is banned. I’m trying to see how in the world we can get that done in the U.S. as well…
Ugh. I can’t bring myself to read the formula advertisements here (in the U.S.), so it was so disturbing to read these claims.
It was also very helpful, though, in explaining why the rate of women who say that formula is just as good as breastmilk has *doubled* here in the last ten years. People tell me that mothers sometimes ask for “the formula with breastmilk in it,” and now I understand why.
Great post.
Amazing how they’re ALL closest to breastmilk… It’s a shame they can’t get together, pool research honestly and make the very best substitute there is for women who can’t or don’t want to breastfeed (and with better information and support for breastfeeding, there’d be less need for infant formula, imo).
Just goes to show how much it’s motivated by profit and how little by real concern for mothers and babies.
[...] though, a watered-down version of the code is at least a starting point, have a look here for some advertising from the US, which has no such restrictions, it is absolutely astonishing the [...]