US opposes BF promotion in Phillipines

[JessasMilkMama]

Its all about the mighty $ you know. No one cares that a huge percentage of Filipino babies are sick and malnourished because of not being breastfed.

http://newsinfo.inq7.net/inquirerhea...ticle_id=24913

[itsang]

i'm so not surprised, but still so disgusted.:

[JessasMilkMama]

I forgot to add that Filipinos spend an average of 1/4 of their income on formula!

[LeilaLuv]

This is so wierd to see! My nutritionist is pHillipino and she HATES formula. She says people here have way to easy access to formula and that over there it is by prescription only, so most women BF..............
:

Maybe its cuz she's pretty old and she's been here in the US for a while, things probably changed since her time.

Either way that Sucks! Its so sad to see that

[sebarnes]

Disgusting.

[annettemarie]

Wow. I'm absolutely ashamed.

[firstkid4me]

She said Thomas Donahue, head of the US Chamber of Commerce, wrote President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Aug. 11 and warned her that the proposed ban on advertising and marketing of breast milk substitutes threatened the “country’s reputation as a stable and viable destination for investments.”

So is he implying they're not going to outsource jobs to the PI anymore? (Not that I believe that they do or anything.)

However, Donahue alleged that the DoH’s decision to revise the Milk Code’s implementing rules and regulations came “without due process or appropriate consultation,” she added.

Who was the Filipino government supposed to consult?

“Infant formula companies organize so-called mothering classes that ironically extol the alleged advantages of branded formulas. They offer monetary incentives and organize travel tours for health workers to promote their products,” Hontiveros said.

“Barangay health workers, pediatricians, health care professionals get T-shirts, jackets, and other paraphernalia that promote branded breastmilk substitutes,” Hontiveros said.

“Promotional items are also ubiquitous in private and public health care facilities. Media advertisements also peddle unsubstantiated and unscientific claims that infant formulas increase the emotional and intelligence quotients of children,” she added.

Don't they do that in the US?