GLOBAL DOCUMENTS

SUMMARY OF THE INTERNATIONAL CODE OF MARKETING OF BREAST-MILK SUBSTITUTES AND ALL RELEVANT SUBSEQUENT WHA RESOLUTIONS

Aim

To contribute to the provision of safe and adequate nutrition for infants by the protection and promotion of breastfeeding and the proper use of breastmilk substitutes, when these are necessary, on the basis of adequate information and through appropriate marketing and distribution.

Scope

Breastmilk substitutes* 1 or any food being marketed or otherwise represented as a partial or total replacement for breastmilk, including:

Infant formula
Follow-up formula (also referred to as follow-on formula or Stage 2 milk)*
Growing-up milk (also referred to as toddler milk or Stage 3 milk)*
Any other milk marketed for children 0 < 36 months*
Any other food or liquid (such as cereal, jarred food, infant tea, juice and mineral water) that is represented as suitable to be fed to infants less than six months of age.*
Feeding bottles and teats.

Promotion

No advertising or promotion of above products to the public. No nutrition or health claims on products.* ^ 2

Samples

No free samples to mothers, their families or health care workers.

Health care facilities

No promotion of products, i.e. no product displays, posters, calendars or distribution of promotional materials. No mothercraft nurses or similar corporation- paid personnel.

Health care workers

No gifts or samples to health care workers. Financial support and incentives should not create conflicts of interest. ^ 3

Supplies

No free or low-cost supplies of breastmilk substitutes to any part of the health care system. ^ 4

Information

Information and education materials must explain the benefits of breastfeeding, the health hazards associated with bottle-feeding and the costs of using infant formula. Product information must be factual and scientific. Governments to avoid conflicts of interest so materials under infant and young child programs should not be sponsored by manufacturers and distributors.^ 5

Labels

Product labels must clearly state the superiority of breastfeeding, the need for the advice of a health care worker and a warning about health hazards. No pictures of infants, other pictures, or text idealizing the use of infant formula. Labels must contain the warning that powdered infant formula may contain pathogenic microorganisms and must be prepared and used appropriately.^ 5 Labels on complementary foods should not cross-promote breastmilk substitutes, should not promote bottle-feeding, and should state the importance of continued breastfeeding.^ 6

Quality

Unsuitable products, such as sweetened condensed milk, should not be promoted for babies. All products should be of a high quality (Codex Alimentarius Standards) and take account of the climatic and storage conditions of the country where they are used.

*Clarified and extended by the WHO Guidance on ending the inappropriate promotion of foods for infants and young children Guidance in WHA Resolution 69.9 [2016].

^ Code provisions have been clarified and extended by subsequent World Health Assembly Resolutions.
1 WHA49.15 [1996], WHA54.2 [2001] & WHA63.23 [2010]

2 WHA58.32 [2005] & WHA63.23 [2010]

3 WHA49.15 [1996] & WHA58.32 [2005]

4 WHA47.5 [1994] v. WHA58.32 [2005]

5 WHA58.32 [2005]

6 WHA69.9