{"id":13255,"date":"2025-04-10T05:51:52","date_gmt":"2025-04-09T17:51:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thebuzz.apnanetwork.co.nz\/?p=13255"},"modified":"2025-04-10T05:51:52","modified_gmt":"2025-04-09T17:51:52","slug":"formula-firms-fight-against-expanded-online-ad-ban-despite-who-warnings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thebuzz.apnanetwork.co.nz\/?p=13255","title":{"rendered":"Formula firms fight against expanded online ad ban despite WHO warnings"},"content":{"rendered":"

Baby formula companies tried to convince the government to resist an expanded global ban on internet marketing of infant milk, despite evidence that online advertising was discouraging mums from breastfeeding.<\/p>\n

The former chief executive of the local formula industry body even met with diplomats based at the World Trade Organisation in Geneva to raise its concerns, documents obtained by RNZ under the Official Information Act show.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, French multinational Danone, whose Karicare and Aptamil brands dominate the market in New Zealand, separately told senior ministers that new World Health Organisation (WHO) digital marketing guidelines were “misguided” and urged officials not to enshrine them into law.<\/p>\n

“A communication blackout will deny New Zealand parents and carers the information to make informed choices on the best nutritional options for their infants,” Danone wrote.<\/p>\n

WHO issued the new guidelines last year, recommending a ban on “digital” advertising of all formula – and baby food – for children under three years old, after a review found social media was now the main way parents were exposed to formula marketing.<\/p>\n

It said “exploitative” and “insidious” marketing practices online had led to increasing sales of formula, while dissuading mothers from breastfeeding.<\/p>\n

“Through tools like apps, virtual support groups or ‘baby-clubs’, paid social media influencers, promotions and competitions and advice forums or services, formula milk companies can buy or collect personal information and send personalized promotions to new pregnant women and mothers,”\u00a0the WHO report said.<\/a><\/p>\n

The World Health Assembly is expected to formally adopt the guidelines into its International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes in May.<\/p>\n

The New Zealand government’s 2023 submission to the draft guidelines – made in consultation with formula companies – did not support the full scope of the proposed rules banning digital marketing of foods for infants and young children, or the expanded definition of breastmilk substitutes covering infants up to three years of age.<\/p>\n

New Zealand has been a signatory to the Code since 1983, but only partially complies with it because compliance is based on a voluntary, industry-run code of practice, rather than regulations enshrined in law.<\/p>\n

The Code, which is run by industry body the Infant Nutrition Council (INC) and overseen by the Ministry of Health, currently prohibits members from marketing products for infants up to 12 months of age, including digital marketing.<\/p>\n

rnz<\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Baby formula companies tried to convince the government to resist an expanded global ban on internet marketing of infant milk, despite evidence that online advertising was discouraging mums from breastfeeding. The former chief executive of the local formula industry body even met with diplomats based at the World Trade Organisation in Geneva to raise its […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":13256,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[222,174],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13255","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-news","category-nz-news"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebuzz.apnanetwork.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13255","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebuzz.apnanetwork.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebuzz.apnanetwork.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebuzz.apnanetwork.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebuzz.apnanetwork.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13255"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thebuzz.apnanetwork.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13255\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13257,"href":"https:\/\/thebuzz.apnanetwork.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13255\/revisions\/13257"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebuzz.apnanetwork.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13256"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebuzz.apnanetwork.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13255"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebuzz.apnanetwork.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13255"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebuzz.apnanetwork.co.nz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13255"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}