UK Criminalizes Formula Marketing Offenses and

JAMA Forum Comes Out against “Big Food”

According to a report, the UK government has introduced regulations that would make a company’s failure to fall in line with EU infant formula and baby food marketing laws a criminal offense subject to fines. The changes make legal provisions for the enforcement of EU regulation 609/2013 for food intended for infants and young children, which will replace the UK’s Infant Formula and Follow-on Formula Regulations.

In another major development, the US based JAMA Forum, from the influential American Medical Association, published an opinion piece strongly deriding the “Big Food” industry, as “promoting healthy profits but not healthy consumers.” They noted the industry’s apparent influence on the US government’s 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the influence of the fast food industry on the American Society of Nutrition, which curates 3 leading nutrition journals. The article drew comparisons of the strategies of “Big Food” to Big Tobacco and the similar techniques. Although the article did not specifically call out Big Food companies such as Nestle which manufacture infant formula and baby food, but the connection of formula makers and big profits has been made elsewhere and can be seen as part of this trend.