Digital baby formula campaigns undermine breastfeeding and put children's health at risk to endanger children's health

Digital baby formula campaigns undermine breastfeeding and put children's health at risk to endanger children's health

A global solution to the digital marketing of breast milk substitutes must be strictly enforced, writes Afshan Khan, deputy secretary-general of the United Nations and coordinator of the Sun (Scaling Up Nutrition) movement.

Breastfeeding saves lives. It is one of the most powerful and proven investments in child survival, development and health. And yet its practice is being undermined – not by science, but by sophisticated and often misleading digital marketing.

More than half of new parents are exposed to online formula milk promotions, often disguised as medical advice or peer support. In some countries this number rises to over 90 percent.

What these aggressive breast milk substitute (BMS) campaigns don't say is that breast milk is essential to building a child's immune system - something formula just can't do. They also ignore a critical risk: The formula must be mixed with water, and in communities without safe water access, this often leads to illness and infection in young children.

Digital marketing campaigns target parents at their most vulnerable – when they are looking for guidance, not manipulation. These tactics distort the election by drowning trustworthy, evidence-based information with biased, misleading advertising.

This not only undermines public health principles and a decade of progress in breastfeeding promotion, but also puts the health and future of entire generations at risk.

These digital marketing tactics violate a longstanding global framework. The International Breast Milk Substitute Marketing Code, adopted by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1981, was designed to protect families from exactly this type of exploitation.

As a 2022 report and UNICEF reveals, formula companies are now spending up to 70 percent of their marketing budgets on digital tools – from apps and virtual baby clubs to paid influencers and online forums – to harvest personal data and target promotions in violation of the code.

In response, member states adopted a Melmark resolution at the World Health Assembly in Geneva this week (May 26) to curb the digital marketing of breast milk substitutes and protect parents' right to accurate, transparent information. Led by Mexico and Brazil and supported by nine country members of the UN-sponsored Sun Nutrition (Sun) movement, this resolution is a critical step forward.

The science of breast milk has long been proven. By providing essential nutrition, boosting immunity, and supporting cognitive development, breastfeeding can radically transform maternal and child health and economic outcomes.

Increasing breastfeeding worldwide could prevent 823,000 unnecessary child deaths and 20,000 breast cancer deaths each year. It has been linked to a 20 percent reduction in the risk of physical and cognitive stunting.

These recognized benefits of breast milk had begun to take hold. Since 2012, exclusive breastfeeding rates have increased from 37 percent in 2012 to nearly 48 percent in 2021. Three-quarters of these children live in low- and lower-middle-income countries, representing important, tangible progress.

However, digital platforms that spread misleading formula marketing are undermining this progress, with inadequate breastfeeding accounting for 16 percent of child deaths each year.

The new resolution gives countries a new framework to take action. However, translation into results requires further coordinated efforts across sectors.

First, stronger enforcement is essential. Countries need robust monitoring and accountability systems to track violations and respond effectively. Vietnam offers a promising model: with support from the Sun Civil Society Alliance, it has launched the AI-powered Virtual Violation Detector, which identifies real-time code violations and alert regulators to enable rapid action and targeted advocacy.

Another step will be to align fragmented policies across civil society and health systems. Harmful breast milk substitute marketing thrives in disconnected systems, such as when health workers lack guidance, civil society is under-resourced, or tech platforms are unregulated. To close these gaps, governments must adopt an approach that brings all stakeholders to the table.

Finally, it is equally important to support positive campaigns that promote breastfeeding. It's not enough to limit harmful marketing - parents need support and encouragement to make informed decisions.

El Salvador, through its national policy “Picker con cariño” (Born with Love), has demonstrated how breastfeeding promotion can be integrated into prenatal and delivery care. Since its implementation in 2021, 69,000 babies have been born under this respectful care model, and thanks to the training of more than 1,000 lactation consultants supported by the Sun Movement, the country has far exceeded the global exclusive breastfeeding target of 50 percent for 2025.

Informed parents make empowered decisions, and empowered decisions give every child the best possible start in life.

Together with the solution to expand the nutrition targets of the World Health Assembly and the countries' nutrition commitments from the Growth Summit in Paris earlier this year, we have a renewed mandate for action. Let's make sure we use it and make sure that this resolution of Geneva translates into meaningful action and move online and on site.

Afshan Khan is Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and coordinator of the Scaling Up Nutrition (Sun) movement.

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