Breastfeeding policies are a barrier to trade? The U.S. trade office thinks so - by Marion Nestle (Food Politics)
▻http://www.foodpolitics.com/2017/05/breastfeeding-policies-are-a-barrier-to-trade-the-u-s-trade-office-thi
The Trump administration wants to get rid of these “technical trade barriers:”
– Hong Kong draft code designed to “protect breastfeeding and contribute to the provision of safe and adequate nutrition for infants and young children.” This, according to USTR, could reduce sales of food products for infants and young children.
– Indonesia: USTR wants to get rid of a draft regulation to ban advertising or promotion of milk products for children up to two years of age.
– Malaysia: USTR doesn’t like its code restricting corporate marketing practices aimed at toddlers and young children.
– Thailand: USTR wants to eliminate penalties for corporations that violate laws restricting the promotional, and marketing activities for modified milk for infants, follow-up formula for infants and young children, and supplemental foods for infants.
This is about protecting sales of infant formulas and weaning foods heavily marketing to mothers in developing countries as superior to breastfeeding, this despite vast amounts of evidence for the superiority of breastfeeding over any other method for promoting infant health.