The State Duma re-introduced a bill to ban advertising of infant formula as breast milk substitutes

Among the authors of the document are Deputy speaker of the Federation Council Galina Karelova, first Deputy Heads of the Federation Council Committee on social policy Valery Ryazansky and Alexander Varfolomeev, as well as Deputy chairmen of the Committee Tatyana Kusayko and Elena Bibikova.

‘It is prohibited to distribute information about adaptive infant formulas (offered as substitutes for women's milk, intended for feeding children aged 0-12 months of life) in any way, in any form, including using product demonstrations, sales below cost and as a load when buying other products, using bonus products, as well as by distributing samples and other ways to promote the object of advertising, aimed at attracting attention, forming or maintaining interest, promotion of adaptive infant formulas on the market without consulting a doctor,’ the bill says.

The bill also specifies that advertising of food products intended for the organization of nutrition for children of the first year of life must contain information about the age restrictions on the use of such products and a warning about the need to consult with specialists. The ban on the distribution of information about infant formula will not apply to places where medical exhibitions, seminars, conferences are held, as well as specialized publications intended for medical workers. ‘Certain conditions and diseases of mothers that are contraindications to breastfeeding are not affected by this bill, since such conditions require constant interaction with medical specialists, and the bill does not restrict advertising among the medical community,’ says the explanatory note to the document.

According to the authors, an important factor that encourages mothers to abandon breastfeeding in favor of artificial, is the advertising of breast milk substitutes, "as well as the accompanying marketing activities." Only 40.4% of children from 6 to 12 months in the Russian Federation are breastfed, says the explanatory note. ‘This legislative initiative will protect consumers from unfair marketing practices associated with distribution of false information in the process of using tools to attract attention to the use of infant formula for feeding children aged 0 to 12 months, and will reduce the likelihood of making unjustified decisions about refusing to breastfeed,’ the document says.

The need to prepare a new version of the bill arose in connection with the comments of the government of the Russian Federation. In particular, the Cabinet of Ministers considers it not obvious that the ban on advertising breast milk substitutes will have a positive impact on the promotion of natural feeding. In addition, the draft review emphasized that support for breastfeeding can be carried out not only by introducing such a ban, but also by creating comfortable conditions for feeding, the appearance of social advertising. At the same time, the draft law does not regulate issues related to the presence of certain conditions and diseases in mothers that are contraindications for breastfeeding, the government noted earlier.

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