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. 2022 May;18 Suppl 3(Suppl 3):e13335.
doi: 10.1111/mcn.13335. Epub 2022 Mar 21.

Global evidence of persistent violations of the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes: A systematic scoping review

Genevieve E Becker  1 , Paul Zambrano  2 , Constance Ching  3 , Jennifer Cashin  3 , Allison Burns  4 , Eva Policarpo  5 , Janice Datu-Sanguyo  2 , Roger Mathisen  2
Affiliations

Global evidence of persistent violations of the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes: A systematic scoping review

Genevieve E Becker et al. Matern Child Nutr. 2022 May.

Abstract

The influence of marketing on infant and young child feeding and health is well recognized, and an International Code was adopted by the World Health Assembly (WHA) in 1981 to reduce inappropriate marketing and protect breastfeeding. Yet the marketing and influencing continue. This scoping review systematically examined the published research evidence on the nature and extent of exposure to International Code violations from 1981 to August 2021. We used several search strategies involving multi-language databases, organization websites, citation tracking, and expert consultation, to find research items meeting our inclusion criteria. We evaluated 657 items and retained 153 studies from at least 95 countries in the review. The majority of the studies (n = 113) documenting exposure to inappropriate marketing were published since 2010. Studies reported a broad range of marketing violations targeting mothers and families, health workers, and the general public. Marketing via digital platforms and brand extension has become more frequent. The evidence shows the use of misleading and inaccurate labeling and health and nutrition claims in breach of the Code. Our review confirms that violations of the Code have not ceased and calls for renewed attention from the WHA and national governments to protect the health of children and their mothers.

Keywords: breastfeeding; breastmilk substitutes; code of marketing; compliance; infant food; infant formula; scoping review.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Search results
Figure 2
Figure 2
Countries with at least one study documenting a violation of the International Code of Marketing of Breast‐milk Substitutes.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Types of settings where violations took place, documented in studies by decade
Figure 4
Figure 4
Targets of inappropriate marketing of breastmilk substitutes
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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