IBFAN STATEMENT
Industry inspired ‘Call to Action’ gives companies a 10-year-licence to harm children.
July 2020
Online launch of the Evaluation Report of the
World Breastfeeding Trends Initiative (WBTi)
in Mobilising National Actions on Breastfeeding and IYCF
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IBFAN STATEMENT on Food Safety Day June 7, 2020
highlights the contamination of baby formulas and foods from microbes, insect parts, pesticides, heavy metals, melamine, packaging leakage and additives. It also points to the weaknesses in Codex Alimentarius standards, where the permitted levels of ingredients is based not on independent and convincing evidence but on political consensus and claims of “history of safe use”. IBFAN calls for laws to end predatory marketing and ensure that food safety and monitoring and enforcement systems are free of commercial influence.
The International Baby Food Action Network, IBFAN, consists of public interest groups working around the world to reduce infant and young child morbidity and mortality. IBFAN aims to improve the health and
well-being of babies and young children, their mothers and their families through the protection, promotion
and support of breastfeeding and optimal infant feeding practices. IBFAN works for universal and full implementation of the International Code and Resolutions.
The formation of IBFAN
IBFAN is one of the longest-surviving single-issue organisations. IBFAN was founded on October 12th, 1979 after the joint meeting of WHO and UNICEF on Infant and Young Child Feeding.
One of the founding members stated:
“IBFAN… will provide an international framework for the continuation of our work. It will allow us to continue our vigilance and provide the focus for citizen participation. It will enable us to follow up the recommendations of this meeting – to spread new perspectives gained and to monitor compliance (with the International Code).”
The International Code
The groups that formed IBFAN were instrumental in putting the marketing of baby foods onto the health agenda, resulting in the 1979 meeting referred to above. IBFAN then campaigned for a strong and effective marketing code. The International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes was adopted by the World Health Assembly in 1981. Through continued vigilance, new marketing strategies and developments
in thinking on infant nutrition have been brought to the attention of delegates at the World Health
Assembly leading to the adoption of further Resolutions which aim to protect infant health and mothers rights.
A global action network
IBFAN is an International Network. Structured like a net, it encompasses the Earth. Groups are diverse: they may work on infant feeding issues alone, or they may be mother support groups, consumer associations, development organisations or citizens rights groups. Some are staffed by volunteers, some have full time staff. What all groups have in common is they take Action to bring about implementation of the International Code and the subsequent, relevant Resolutions of the World Health Assembly. These are the main tools that IBFAN uses with the aim of ensuring that the marketing of baby food does not have a negative impact on health.
COVID-19
- WHO 23 June Breastfeeding and COVID-19
- UNICEF 28 May Breastfeeding safely during the COVID-19 pandemic
- WHO: 27 May Countries failing to stop harmful marketing of breast-milk substitutes, warn WHO and UNICEF
- WHO:27 May Clinical Management of COVID-19
- WHO:12 May FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: Breastfeeding and COVID-19 For health care workers
- International Paediatric Association: 9 May Promoting and supporting children’s health and healthcare during COVID-19
- WHO 7 May: Q&A: Breastfeeding and COVID-19
- WHO: 5 May Community-based health care, including outreach and campaigns,in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic
- bpni: 4 May COVID 19 and Breastfeeding
- UK UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative: 1 May INFANT FEEDING DURING
THE CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) CRISIS - UNICEF: 29 April Response to COVID-19: Guidance Note on Financial Contributions or Contributions in-kind from Food and Beverage companies Version 2
- WHO 28 April FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
- UNICEF 27 April Counselling Cards on Infant and Young Child Feeding in the Context of COVID-19
- UُSAID 24 April IYCF Recommendations When COVID-19 is Suspected or Confirmed
- WFP-UNICEF: 22 April Protecting Maternal Diets and Nutrition
Services and Practices in the Context of COVID-19 - UNICEF, WFP, FAO & WHO: 17 April Joint statement on nutrition in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in Asia and the Pacific
- UNICEF 16 April SG’s Policy Brief: The Impact of COVID-19 on children
- WHO 15 April Safe Ramadan practices in the context of the COVID-19: interim guidance
- ’EMRO 9 April Feeding babies and young children during the COVID-19 outbreak
- WHO 8 th April COVID-19 and breastfeeding Position paper
- Breastfeeding Medicine 7 April Should Infants Be Separated from Mothers with COVID-19? First, Do No Harm
- CDC 6 April :Considerations for Inpatient Obstetric Healthcare Settings
- Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists April 3 : Coronavirus (COVID-19) Infection in Pregnancy
- UNICEF April 3 :COVID-19 Agenda for Action
- UNICEF UK BABY FRIENDLY INITIATIVE 2 April: Statement on Infant Feeding during the Corona Virus Outbreak
- AAP 2 April COVID 19 Initial Newborn Guidance
- Harvard Medical school 31 March Separating Infected Mothers from Newborns
- Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists 30 March: COVID-19 virus infection and pregnancy
- WHO 30 March: Breastfeeding advice during COVID-19 outbreak
- UNICEF Brief No. 2 (v1) 30 March IYCF Programming in the context of COVID-19
- ICM 29 March WOMEN’S RIGHTS IN CHILDBIRTH MUST BE UPHELD DURING THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC
- UNICEF & GTAM 27-March : Management of Child Wasting in the Context of COVID -19
- ESA WHO UNICEF WFP UNHCR 26 March :IYCF COVID-19 Statement
- ILCA 23 March : Supporting lactation is important to human health at all times, but especially during times of emergency.
- WHO 18 March: Q&A on COVID-19, pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding
- CDC 18 March : Pregnancy & Breastfeeding (Information about Coronavirus Disease 2019)
- RCPCH 17 March : COVID-19 – guidance for paediatric services
- WHO 13 March : Clinical management of severe acute respiratory infection when COVID-19 is suspected Interim guidance
- UNICEF 12 March What parents should know
- UNFPA 11 March: statement on novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and pregnancy
- Queensland Health 11 March: COVID-19 Guidance for Maternity Services
- ABM 10 March : Statement on CORONAVIRUS 2019
- UNFPA : 5 March statement on novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and pregnancy
- LLLI 19 February : Continuing to Nurse Your Baby Through Coronavirus (2019-nCoV; COVID-19) and Other Respiratory Infections
- WHO 4 February : Home care for patients with suspected novel coronavirus (COVID-19) infection presenting with mild symptoms, and management of their contacts
- WHO Breastfeeding advice during the COVID-19 outbreak
- UNICEF : Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): What parents should know
- UNICEF: Early Childhood focused COVID-19 Resources
- COVID-19 IBFAN LAC
IBFAN will work through programmes designed for increasing its outreach by building alliances, protecting people from baby food corporations’ misleading propaganda, advocating with governments to hold the baby food corporations accountable, providing technical and planning support to governments, campaigning, training and capacity building. IBFAN is a watch-dog organization, monitoring the compliance with the International Code of Marketing of Breast-Milk Substitutes, and subsequent relevant World Health Assembly resolutions, as well as highlighting conflict of interests in policies and programmes both globally and nationally.
IBFAN envisages an enabling environment for all women to establish breastfeeding as a societal norm in the best interest of both mother and child. IBFAN aspires to emerge as the last word in promoting, protecting and supporting breastfeeding and infant feeding as well as a trusted network in support of Governments and civil society alliances/social movements.
