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IBCLC Kathleen Kendall-Tackett, PhD, breaks down the Booby Traps in a Gerber “Breastfeeding Hints and hurdles” advertisement appearing on WebMD. Read about it in her Blog, “Deconstructing Gerber: Why Industry Should Not be Giving Health Advice.“

A Virginia jury awarded $13.5 million in damages to manufacturers of store-brand infant formula. PBM Products had contested Mead Johnson’s claims that “only Enfamil LIPIL is clincally proven to improve brain and eye development.”

Mead Johnson uses aggressive marketing tactics, such as hospital marketing, to convince families to purchase its high-priced formula. Mead Johnson’s product costs twice as much as the PBM products sold at Sam’s Club, Target, Kroger and Walgreen’s, the company told the associated press. Read more »

According to a recent CDC survey, US hospitals are falling short when it comes to breastfeeding support. Formula marketing bags are just one of the obstacles that new mothers may face in the first few days after birth. What’s to be done? You can start by writing a letter to your hospital to share your experiences, good and bad, during your maternity stay. Tonya Lieberman offers tips on how to make an impact on the Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog.

Studies show that formula marketing bags shorten exclusive breastfeeding duration, even when the formula samples are removed from the bags. How does that work? It’s simple – but subtle. Industry-manufactured “breastfeeding support guides” offer advice that undermines mothers and promotes artificial breastmilk substitutes, as Erin explains beautifully in her guest blog, Helping Themselves: Breastfeeding Advice Nestle-Style.

Mead Johnson pulls “Breast milk formula” web page title

Mead Johnson hit new lows this past week, calling Lipil “The Breast Milk Formula” on its web site. The title to the web page was changed to “Enfamil – Lipil” following a concerted campaign by breastfeeding activists to contact the Federal Trade Commission.

Mead Johnson’s advertising is already under review by the FTC for overstating the health benefits from added fatty acids DHA/ARA. With the recent “breast milk formula” ploy, Mead Johnson sank to new lows, essentially claiming that infant formula is the same thing as human milk.

Read more »

In another cynical move to market formula in the guise of breastfeeding support, Abbott Labs has partnered with Working Mother magazine to create a “workplace breastfeeding support” kit. Blogging in The Huffington Post, Dr. Melissa Bartick explains why businesses should steer clear of formula propaganda, and instead use the Business Case for Breastfeeding, a federally-funded workplace lactation support program.

A “Mama is…” cartoon speculates on how the formula samples in the Enfamil “Breastefeeding Kit” could possibly help mothers successfully nurse. See the cartoon.

Writing in “The Kid’s Menu,” Lesley Porcelli describes how she and her baby resisted a barrage of formula handouts and industry-endorsing health care providers to breastfeed successfully. She writes, “The world seems to start pushing formula on mothers at the moment of conception. But what if you just want your baby to drink breast milk?” Read the article.

Support Ban the Bags on Facebook — join the cause, recruit members, and raise money for our efforts to eliminated unethical marketing of infant formula by health care providers. Visit the Facebook Ban the Bags cause to learn more.

Tanya Lieberman interviews Dr. Alison Stuebe on her podcast and asks, “What’s the problem with those formula company diaper bags?” Listen or download the podcast here.