Comments on Blacktating: Formula Ads: How Far Is Too Far?

I would love to add a link to my web site which is...

2010-09-30T23:49:32.881-04:00

I would love to add a link to my web site which is mainly for family and friends to yours raising awareness on all topics in which you speak of. I also would like to add a link to my blog. Please e-mail me to let me know if I have your permission. Thanks so much!

We're lucky in the UK that advertsing of infan...

2010-07-14T12:02:46.839-04:00

We're lucky in the UK that advertsing of infant formula is illegal so we dont see adverts with such tiny babies in them. However 'follow on milk' which is aimed at 6 months plus can still be legally advertised and the manufacturers get round the ban by using the follow on adverts to promote the whole brand. I've also recently found that adverts for formula mother and baby clubs keep popping up on facebook aimed t pregnant women even though they are not legally allowed to make contact with pregnant women or women with babies under 6 months old. They'll always find away around any bans imposed.

Hi there Heres an interesting website written by ...

2009-10-29T16:48:29.630-04:00

Hi there

Heres an interesting website written by a UK based Doctor. Her book Gut and Psychology Syndrome is available on amazon.com but firstly read her website and you will see that she places great importance on a new babies gut being populated with the right kind of 'flora' - the flora from mothers milk. She emphasises how the flora in the gut of a formula fed infant is very different than a breastfed infants.
http://www.gaps.me/preview/

Based on sound scientific evidence it is clearly about time formula milk came labelled with a clear health warning.

Also read Gabrielle Palmers updated book 'The Politics of Breastfeeding - When breasts are bad for business'

Naomi Baumslag & Dia L Michels book
Milk, Money, and Madness: The Culture and Politics of Breastfeeding

James Akres book The Problem with Breastfeeding (he correctly states that the biggest barrier to breastfeeding is society wide ignorance)

Great letter, Joe, thanks for sharing.

2009-07-28T21:32:52.282-04:00

Great letter, Joe, thanks for sharing.

Thank you - great post. Shared on Facebook with an...

2009-07-25T21:30:06.475-04:00

Thank you - great post. Shared on Facebook with an incentive to write to the magazine, and have done so myself.

I've added this paragraph to the letter, and I don't mind if anyone wants to use it as well!

"I understand that some people cannot breastfeed for medical reasons, or will choose not to breastfeed. The latter is always unfortunate, but especially so if the decision was reached through misinformation such as that promoted by ads like those found in your magazine. This prevents women from making an informed and conscious decision, and sets them to fail in their attempt to breastfeed, often before they have even given birth. This is especially true in this case, as your magazine is not specifically aimed at parents, but will reach thousands of women in childbearing ages."

Great post, thank you for sharing! It's great...

2009-07-21T10:25:18.360-04:00

Great post, thank you for sharing! It's great to see a young mom with the ability to influence others take a stand and empower other young moms.

Keep up the good work!

I still say this kind of thing is new because it&#...

2009-07-20T16:09:10.982-04:00

I still say this kind of thing is new because it's a new low: a glossy 4-page spread in a non-parenting magazine is UNHEARD OF. And honestly, regardless of what Bright Beginnings may have done 6 years ago, a one-page ad with a picture of Brooke Shields is not the same as these fancy, photo studio-esque pictures of a newborn. These images are VERY powerful, which is why formula companies are not allowed to put pictures of babies on the cans.

Thank you Elita! This may no be new but the aggre...

2009-07-20T15:22:12.285-04:00

Thank you Elita! This may no be new but the aggressiveness of the formula companies is getting worse. Moms have a right to make a decision of how to feed their babies without being undermined.

For those of you who would like to do more, you ca...

2009-07-20T09:16:37.994-04:00

For those of you who would like to do more, you can donate money to an organization like Best for Babes, http://www.bestforbabes.org/donate/. You can also call your local WIC office and ask about working as a breastfeeding peer counselor part-time.

I recently received a package in the mail consisti...

2009-07-20T09:11:37.798-04:00

I recently received a package in the mail consisting of an insulated backpack, a bottle, a can of formula and some literature that was a smooth blend of useful information and propaganda.

This was a freebie from a mom forum I am a member of.

I thought to myself - if only breastfeeding groups had that kind of a budget!

What this promotion does, of course, is make it so that a new mother has a can of formula in the cupboard "just in case". I kept the cooler bag, and had an ethical struggle with what to do with the formula and the bottle. I ended up giving it to a woman who was already a committed bottle feeder. I felt like a traitor, or at the very least, a collaborator.

I would love to help support the breastfeeding cause more. Feel free to email me at wellness_info(at)yahoo(dot)ca

Anonymous, not sure why you felt the need to be ru...

2009-07-19T14:40:39.384-04:00

Anonymous, not sure why you felt the need to be rude, but in 2003 I was in my early 20s and not really giving much thought to breastfeeding or babies and didn't read People magazine. I guess I am "late to the party" because I only becoming a mother a year and a half ago.

Thanks for writing this and for sharing Marsha'...

2009-07-19T10:54:49.146-04:00

Thanks for writing this and for sharing Marsha's letter. I WAS very disturbed by this although i had to say unfortunately that the designes of the ad were clever which further pissed me off. I am filing a complaint. I hope it helps...but since the USA hasn't endorsed the Code, I hope it will still be helpful. To your anonymous commentor: We Lactation Professional know that this is not a new problem. Far from it! I don't think Elita is portraying a misconception that this is new... In the 80's, (Ihope my memory is correct here) the ads you may see were NOT from the two most Physician recommended formulas.....Similac (Ross) and Enfamil (Mead Johnson). Ross Labs/Abbott alway USED to say that THEY were "abiding by the Code" even though Mead Johnson (who thru parent companies was related to Nestle at the time)WAS advertising directly to the consumer. These main 2 big formulas brands were staying out of the direct to consumer advertising market..... mostly. They started in the parenting type magazines.. but now garnering celebrity endorsements and moving to a different target audience in People Magazine...As far as I know THAT IS NEW and sad..very sad. And Brooke for Bright Beginnings (PBM Nutritionals)is a smaller company than the aforementioned formula giants and not as well known.

I'm a nursing mom of three, the youngest a 2½-...

2009-07-18T13:30:37.468-04:00

I'm a nursing mom of three, the youngest a 2½-year-old nursling and I'm not surprised by this at all. In fact, the only thing that surprises me is the misconception in the post that this is something new ("LATELY they've upped the ante..."; "it seems NOW ... are trying to one-up..."; "...are NOW going to be bombarded...").

In 2003, People magazine and other non-parenting celebrity magazines were running the Bright Beginnings Instant Baby Formula ad featuring Brooke Shields as its pitch person (there was also a tv commercial that went along with it). While I appreciate that you are taking a stand on this issue, please note that it has been an issue for a long time and those just discovering it are rather late to the party. Better late than never, I guess.

Fabulous post. Let's all circulate whereever w...

2009-07-17T19:04:40.886-04:00

Fabulous post. Let's all circulate whereever we can and apply consumer pressure. Consider that the formula industry spent $50 million in advertising in 2004; most breastfeeding non-profits have operating budgets of a few ten thousands or hundred thousands. Worse, one of the formula companies (I think it's Abbott, not sure) spends $300 million annually on marketing formula, of which their direct advertising budget includes the diaper bags with "free" formula samples given away at hospitals, sponsored health conferences, publishing literature for the American Academy of Pediatrics, the list never ends. I used formula and will defend a woman's decision; but the false advertising of formula and the unethical marketing to vulnerable expecting and new mothers is truly a disgrace.

Andrea, I love your letter! Thanks for sharing it....

2009-07-17T12:27:42.100-04:00

Andrea,
I love your letter! Thanks for sharing it.

Here's the content of my email to People magaz...

2009-07-17T01:08:24.495-04:00

Here's the content of my email to People magazine - feel free to use!
I was very disappointed to find advertising for infant formula in your magazine and on your web site.

Clearly the formula manufacturers have large advertising budgets, but the damage done by this kind of advertising cannot be worth the money. I am referring to the health of your readership and their children. You must realize that nothing can replace breast milk and breastfeeding, and also you must realize that the advocates of breastfeeding do not have those same advertising budgets.

You are in a position to influence the choices of many women. If women are misled into believing that formula is at all comparable to breast milk, more mothers will choose to bottle feed, if only to avoid dealing with reactions to the act of breastfeeding. You are in a position to influence the culture around breastfeeding to your large readership, and of educating women around providing their children with the best nutrition and care possible. This would be a noble thing, and one that is very important!
Andrea