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| Public Issues |
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7 April 2005
European Commissioner for Health
Markos Kyprianon
200 Rue de la Loi
Brussles B-1049
Belgium
Dear Commissioner
We understand that the 1991 European Union Directive on Infant Formula and Follow-on Formula is presently up for review.
We would like to add our voice to the UK Food Standard Agency in supporting the effort to improve this Directive.
We wish to ask that in any revision of the Directive the emphasis be put into the Promotion of Breast Milk and breast feeding and its positive effects on the newly born in the first instance. Indeed if the directive's title be changed to emphasize the positive effect of breast feeding and the negative effect of Breast Milk substitutes, then it would have an immediate impact on the reader even before the contents are examined. The directive would also have to give a proper Public Health evidence based balance between the benefits of breast feeding and the net negative benefits of Formula milk.
All the effort of the Directive should go into promoting the natural Breast Feeding process and restrict, as far as possible, the promotion of Formula Milk feeds to instances when feeding, from medical point of view, is contraindicated (for example danger to mother or child)
Furthermore, European legislation should now be brought into line with the requirements of the International Code and other World Health Assembly resolutions which again ban promotion of any milk substitutes, bottles, teats etc. as suitable for babies under six months old.
We also believe that it is the moral duty of EU countries to set an example in this type of legislation in order to deter companies who produce formula milk taking advantage of weaker countries in promoting their products indiscriminately.
Yours sincerely
(Rev) William G Slack
General Director
Baptist Union of Scotland
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