China encourages breast-feeding

Global Business

Baby formula is either a partial or total substitute for breast milk designed to meet nutritional needs of infants less than three years old, but there is nothing small about the size of the market. It’s estimated at over $60 billion globally and growing at 7 percent a year.

STILL_CHINA BABY FORMULA ADSBreastfeed rate

 

But that market may be shrinking soon especially if the Chinese government’s plan to ban baby formula advertising goes through. Authorities don’t want ads claiming baby formula can partly or completely replace a mother’s milk. CCTV’S Mi Jiayi filed this report.

Highlights:

  • The new amendment says that “Dairy products, drinks and other food advertisements that claim to partly or completely substitute for mother’s milk shall be banned from mass media or public venues.”
  • The maximum fine for a violation can be as much as 1 million yuan, and some formula distributors have now put notices on their web sites promoting breast-feeding for babies under six months.
  • Data from UNICEF show that only 28 percent of infants younger than 6 months were 100 percent breastfed in China in 2008, while the global average is about 40 percent. China hopes to raise that number to 50 percent by 2020. The government has introduced measures to encourage breastfeeding, such as building dedicated rooms in public venues for new mothers.

Silvia Alayon on commericals’ influence on breastfeeding

CCTV’s Rachelle Akuffo sat down for an interview with Silvia Alayon. She’s a Nutrition and Monitoring Advisor of Alive and Thrive. Rachelle asked just how much influence these commercials have on how mothers choose to feed their babies.