26 May 2000 - WHO suppresses critical debate at the WHO/UNICEF Technical
Consultation on Infant and Young Child Feeding

WHO Suppresses Critical Debate

The following article is reproduced from Baby Milk Actions Update 27 newsletter (May 2000). Links to letters related to this article are given afterwards. 

(Also see the report WHO Accused of Stifling Debate about Infant Feeding in the British Medical Journal 20 May 2000)

Events at the WHO/UNICEF Technical Consultation on Infant and Young Child Feeding in Geneva in March 2000 raised concerns about whether, and to what extent, the push for "private-public partnerships" affects policies and prevents open and transparent debate.

Before the meeting, some background papers, which had been prepared by invited experts, were radically censored by WHO. Critical reflection on corporate behaviour relating to marketing and policy making was removed. In addition invited experts were told that they could not discuss the issue of the appropriate age of complementary feeding.

This caused so much concern that twenty of the experts signed a statement for inclusion in the official record: "The Technical Consultants who have gathered here in Geneva to assist WHO and UNICEF believe that it is
essential for the strategic plan for the first decade of the new millenium which will result from our work, to reflect
the current scientific evidence and refer to the recommended duration of exclusive breastfeeding as about six months. Such guidance...will significantly improve the survival and the health and development of all the worlds infants and children."

Over the past 4 years, WHO representatives have made statements advocating complementary feeding at
4-6 months at meetings of Codex (the body that sets world food standards) in contradiction with scientific evidence and with the 1994 WHA Resolution which cites Ôabout six months. Industry has used WHOs statements to push for a 4-6 months global standard and to defend their promotion of early complementary feeding. The next Codex meeting is in June.

Following these events WHO has revised its submission to Codex Alimentarius - the body that sets world food standards, proposing new wording for the Codex Standard on cereal-based babyfoods: "by
phrasing it positively - and to call attention to the importance of not promoting infant foods for use at too early an age: The label shall clearly state that the product is recommended for use from the age of about
6 months and not before 4 months." WHO has also said that it will submit a report of all the published literature to the Cochrane Library for endorsement in November 2000. This will be peer reviewed and submitted to a small expert committee for final endorsement.