New Delhi 7 Dec 2012 : Ms.Anuradha Gupta, Mission Director, National Rural Health Mission and Dr. Felicity Savage King, Chairperson, Steering Committee WABA today released “Marketing Offenders: examples of inappropriate baby food promotion from around the world” at the World Breastfeeding Conference, being held in New Delhi.

“The publication represents the tip of the iceberg that is trapping our babies in malnutrition and death”, said Dr. Arun Gupta, Central Coordinator of Breastfeeding Promotion Network of India, which together with the International Baby Food Action Network, has brought out the book. “We believe that business interests do not ever have the best interests of infants and young children in their hearts. We call upon governments and UN bodies to end all promotion of baby foods by 2015. That is why our campaign is called Babies Need Mom-Made, Not Man-Made.”

In May 2010, the World Health Assembly adopted resolution 63.23 on Infant and Young Child Nutrition, which called upon member countries to end inappropriate promotion of food for infants and young children, and to ensure that nutrition and health claims shall not be permitted for such foods. BPNI and IBFAN believe that the lack of definition of the term “inappropriate” has allowed industry to promote foods for children under two years of age, using all kinds of claims and giving all sorts of incentives.