Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the accuracy and compliance of baby milk powder labels with existing regulatory requirements, and what plans they have to bring the law into compliance with WHO provisions on the marketing of infant formula.

There is specific legislation in place covering the composition, labelling, and standards, including marketing, to ensure infant formula and follow-on formula provide all the nutrients a healthy baby needs for development and growth, and to ensure consumers are informed correctly about their contents and uses.

The legislation also gives effect, in part, to the World Health Organization’s International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes and subsequent resolutions, which is a set of recommendations to promote breastfeeding and regulate inappropriate marketing of breast-milk substitutes.

Legislation also requires manufacturers of infant formula and some follow-on formula to notify the Department when they are placing a new product on the market. The Department assesses individual product labels against legislative requirements. It is the responsibility of individual businesses to ensure their compliance with the law, and the responsibility of local authorities to enforce the law. The Department does not monitor enforcement of legislation by local authorities.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is undertaking a market study into competition in the infant formula sector in the United Kingdom, and is expected to publish an interim report in October 2024. We look forward to the CMA’s interim report and we will carefully consider any findings and recommendations following publication.