Infant Foods: Marketing

(asked on 21st January 2021) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to fully implement the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes.


Answered by
Jo Churchill Portrait
Jo Churchill
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
This question was answered on 26th January 2021

There is strict legislation currently in place through the overarching Food for Specific Groups legislation (Retained Regulation No 609/2013) and specifically Retained Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/127. These regulate, labelling and marketing of infant formulae and follow-on formulae so as not to discourage breastfeeding. The legislation gives effect to the principles and aims of the 1981 World Health Organization Code on the Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes by restricting the labelling, presentation and advertising of infant formula so as not to discourage breastfeeding.

These are enforced by the Food for Specific Groups (Food for Special Medical Purposes for Infants, Infant Formula and Follow-on Formula) (Information and Compositional Requirements) (Amendment etc.) (England) Regulations 2020. Similar legislation applies in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

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