Signatory Statements

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Baby Formula Manufacturers Provide Disappointing Response to Global Call to Action on Child Health and Nutrition

 

Only two companies make full commitments to end aggressive marketing practices that harm mothers and children globally

 

NGOs involved in the global Call to Action provide the following statement:

 

Only two global breast-milk substitute (BMS) manufacturers made full commitments to stop the aggressive and unethical marketing of their BMS products in response to a global Call to Action from the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF and leading NGOs working to improve infant and young child nutrition. This response sends a clear message that the BMS industry is unwilling to fulfill its obligation to comply with global health policy guidelines that are endorsed by national governments and designed to protect all children and ultimately save lives.  

 

The Call to Action was issued in June 2020 to all companies that make baby formula globally and was sent directly to the CEOs of 21 companies. It called on BMS manufacturers to make strong, measurable commitments to restrict formula marketing in compliance with the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes, including all relevant, subsequent World Health Assembly resolutions (together referred to as the Code). Forty years ago, the World Health Assembly (WHA), comprised of 194 national governments, adopted the Code as a minimum requirement to protect and promote appropriate infant and young child feeding.

 

The Code is a critical tool to achieve optimal health and nutrition by protecting breastfeeding and to ensure the safe use of BMS when they are needed. BMS companies have continually failed to adhere to the Code, which contributes to poor nutrition and, in many cases, preventable deaths in infants and young children. More than 800,000 lives are lost each year due to sub-optimal breastfeeding, mostly as a result of severe diarrhea, lung infections in infants, and breast cancer in mothers.

 

Given that companies have had 40 years to adopt policies and practices in compliance with the Code across their global operations, but have failed to do so, the Call to Action asked companies to publicly commit to achieve full Code compliance by 2030 at the latest, and submit a clear implementation roadmap by the end of 2020 detailing how Code compliance will be achieved.

 

Seventeen companies submitted responses. Only two companies, KraftHeinz and Meiji, committed to market their BMS products in full compliance with the Code by 2030. The signatories of the Call to Action applaud their commitment and look forward to seeing further details on how they plan to implement their pledge. However, these two companies account for less than 1% of the global BMS market. 

 

We are profoundly disappointed that no other company, including the largest global companies, took this crucial opportunity to commit to achieving compliance with internationally agreed health policy. Ongoing corporate failure to acknowledge and comply with the Code has already negatively impacted global health and nutrition. 

 

Of the six largest BMS companies, representing 60% of the global market, Nestlé and Danone pledged to make useful modifications to their policies to address some aspects of the Code while still falling short of a commitment to fully align their marketing policies and practices with the Code. We are extremely disappointed that Abbott, Feihe, FrieslandCampina, and RB submitted responses to the Call to Action that failed to make any commitments to improve their marketing policies and practices to bring them more closely into line with the Code. FrieslandCampina did however commit to sharing a roadmap to outline the steps it is willing to take over the next decade, as did Ausnutria, Danone, Kraft Heinz, Meiji, Morinaga, and Nestle.

 

KraftHeinz and PepsiCo made a first step towards Code compliance by publishing policies that set out their commitments in relation to marketing BMS products for infants aged 0-12 months in all countries. Ausnutria stated that it has adopted a policy covering formulas for infants from birth to 12 months of age but does not appear to have published this policy. Fonterra published a policy covering these products, and Lactalis committed to do so by the end of 2021. Further analysis is needed to determine whether these companies’ policies are fully aligned with the Code. While breastfeeding needs to be protected beyond just the first year of life, policies and practices covering the 0-12 month period are an important step to improving the health of young children around the world. 

 

In addition to Ausnutria and Lactalis, four companies – Asahi, HiPP, H&H, and Morinaga – also committed to develop or publish a first-ever policy on BMS marketing. We are encouraged that these companies are beginning to recognize the negative impact that their marketing practices can have on infant and young child health and urge them to ensure that their new policies and practices align fully to the Code. 

 

Four companies did not respond to the Call to Action: Yili Group, Mengniu, Progress JSC, and Waja Nutritionals (Nutrilatt). Vinamilk submitted a response but did not make any commitments to improve its marketing policies and practices.

 

We reiterate our call to all BMS companies to fully align their marketing policies and practices to the Code in order to improve infant and young child health and nutrition globally. Stakeholders in all BMS companies must demand that they take immediate steps and confirm their commitment to ethically market their BMS products.

 

The disappointing response to the Call to Action underscores the urgent need for strong national Code legislation that is rigorously enforced. Human rights bodies of the United Nations have stated that adoption of the Code is a core obligation of countries under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. 

 

All company responses were reviewed and assessed by the signatories of the Call to Action and by the Access to Nutrition Initiative (ATNI), an independent monitoring body that evaluates food and beverage manufacturers’ policies, practices, and disclosures on addressing all forms of malnutrition. The individual company responses and the assessments can be found on the Call to Action website.  

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March 17, 2021

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In June 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF and leading NGOs issued a global Call to Action to all companies that manufacture breast-milk substitutes (BMS) globally and was sent directly to the CEOs of 21 companies. It called on BMS manufacturers to make strong, measurable commitments to align their marketing policies and practices with the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes and subsequent World Health Assembly resolutions (together referred to as the Code).

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The Code was adopted 40 years ago by the World Health Assembly (WHA), comprised of 194 national governments, as a minimum requirement to protect and promote appropriate infant and young child feeding. Given that companies have had 40 years to adopt policies and practices in compliance with the Code across their global operations, but have failed to do so, the Call to Action asked companies to publicly commit to achieve full Code compliance by 2030 at the latest, and submit a clear implementation roadmap by the end of 2020 detailing how Code compliance will be achieved.

Nineteen companies submitted responses. Two companies, Morinaga and Glico, have made an explicit public commitment to full Code compliance by 2030, which represents an important first step. While KraftHeinz and Meiji initially made a similar commitment, ATNI and the signatories subsequently determined that the roadmaps submitted by these companies failed to provide the requested details as to how they plan to implement their pledge. 

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Of the six largest BMS companies representing 60% of the global market, Danone and Nestlé pledged to make some modifications to their policies to address selected aspects of the Code, while still falling short of a commitment to align their marketing policies and practices with the Code fully. Abbott, Feihe, FrieslandCampina, and RB submitted responses to the Call to Action that failed to make any commitments to improve their marketing policies and practices to bring them more closely into line with the Code. FrieslandCampina did however commit to sharing a roadmap to outline the steps it is willing to take over the next decade, as did Ausnutria, Danone, Kraft Heinz, Meiji, Morinaga, and Nestle.

 

KraftHeinz and PepsiCo made a first step towards Code compliance by publishing policies that set out their commitments in relation to marketing BMS products for infants aged 0-12 months in all countries. Ausnutria stated that it has adopted a policy covering formulas for infants from birth to 12 months of age but does not appear to have published this policy. Fonterra published a policy covering these products, and Lactalis committed to do so by the end of 2021. Further analysis is needed to determine whether these companies’ policies are fully aligned with the Code. While breastfeeding needs to be protected beyond just the first year of life, policies and practices covering the 0-12 month period are an important step to protecting young children around the world. 

 

In addition to Ausnutria and Lactalis, four companies – Asahi, HiPP, H&H, and Morinaga – committed to develop or publish a first-ever policy on BMS marketing.

 

Four companies did not respond to the Call to Action: Yili Group, Mengniu, Progress JSC, and Waja Nutritionals (Nutrilatt). Vinamilk submitted a response but did not make any commitments to improve its marketing policies and practices.

 

All company responses were reviewed and assessed by the signatories of the Call to Action and by the Access to Nutrition Initiative (ATNI), an independent monitoring body that evaluates food and beverage manufacturers’ policies, practices, and disclosures on addressing all forms of malnutrition. The individual company responses and the assessments can be found here.