Understandably, there is concern about unqualified people giving what might amount to nutritional advice in a domain such as infant health where it is important that people have good information at their disposal. For this reason, the marketing and sale of infant formula is highly regulated. Instead, we have policy pushing in the opposite direction – regulations prohibit consumers getting value scheme points for infant formula, putting it in the esteemed company of cigarettes and lottery tickets. So, we know what the WHO doesn’t want, but it’s worth looking at what it does want when it comes to infant feeding. I met a woman at a wedding this summer who, when I mentioned I had recently published some research on infant feeding, started berating herself for “merely” combination feeding (combining breastfeeding and formula).

Source: The Irish Times December 31, 2023 21:25 UTC