Regulatory Frameworks for Ending Inappropriate Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes and Foods for Infants and Young Children
Effective Regulatory Frameworks in the WHO European Region
About
This is a guidance document for Member States seeking to develop or strengthen legislation to regulate the promotion of BMS and CPCF. It summarizes results from the 2020 Status of the Code Report, and calls attention to the fact that no countries in the EU have incorporated CPCF standards or developed a national NPM for these foods. The document details the Model Law - a tool that policymakers can use to pull legal language to strengthen their Code laws and incorporate WHO Guidance on WHA 69.9. It also includes details on labelling prohibitions for CPCF.
Recommendations for implementation, monitoring, and enforcement of national regulations are also provided, which includes a step-by-step guide for establishing a national monitoring system, referencing the NetCode Toolkit for Ongoing Monitoring and Periodic Assessment of the Code. Prohibitions specific to CPCF include: A manufacturer or distributor may promote a food product for infants and young children provided that:
(a) it meets the requirements of the national nutrition profile model (and those of other relevant national standards for composition, safety and quality)
(b) such promotional practice does not take place in a health care facility;
(c) any material promoting a food product for infants and young children must include a statement in characters [insert particulars relating to character size, placement, appearance, etc. For example, “no less than one-third the size of the characters in the product name, and in no case less than 2mm in height”] on: i. the importance of exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months and of continued breastfeeding up to two years or beyond; and ii. the recommended age of introduction which is not less than six months (180 days) and a statement that early introduction of complementary foods negatively affects breastfeeding.
