International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes
The Problem: Unethical marketing of breast-milk substitutes, bottles, and teats can reduce breastfeeding rates, putting the health of children and mothers at risk and resulting in unnecessary costs for families and countries.
The Solution: Strong and well-enforced national legislation can reduce the unethical marketing of breast-milk substitutes, bottles, and teats and ensure support for breastfeeding.
Governments, political leaders, and health care providers all have a role to play in improving health outcomes. Strengthening, monitoring, and enforcing national Code legislation is one approach. Strong regulations on the marketing of breast-milk substitutes help to ensure that parents are able to make informed choices about how to feed their children—and that children receive the full benefits of breast-milk.
This section of the Breastfeeding Advocacy Toolkit includes information about the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes (the Code), the current status of legislation around the world as well as details on the NetCode initiative.
Training and policies related to the Code are also integrated to initiatives for maternity facilities and skilled breastfeeding counselors and indicators on the International Code will form an important part of monitoring.
