The photos document IBFAN’s participation, including Patti Rundall alongside Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, and Lucia Gratao of CGAN, Brazil’s Ministry of Health. They also show colleagues from AELAMA, the Spanish Association for Breastfeeding.
AELAMA’s briefing presents five key messages on breastfeeding and obesity prevention, including the need to address the social and commercial conditions that shape health. Supporting breastfeeding is a public health measure – not an individual responsibility to place on mothers.
IBFAN’s 6 Key asks
- Adopt effective Transparency and Conflict of interest safeguards. Taking care over terminology and power imbalances. ‘Partnerships’ by definition are arrangements for ‘shared governance’ to achieve ‘shared goals’ so are inappropriate for for-profit entities. The partnership model opens the door for undue influence of governance, and promotes self-regulation rather than the adoption of regulations, international codes, conventions and treaties. (1)
- Update national legislation in line with WHA recommendations including WHA 78.18 on digital marketing that prevents harmful marketing of products and has been shown to improve breastfeeding rates.(2) Scientific evidence and WHO recommendations indicate that breastfeeding is one of the most important cost-effective strategies for reducing the risk of obesity in childhood, adolescence and adulthood.(3)
- Tackle the broken food system and ensure independent and transparent oversight of food business operators, whistle-blower protection and sanctions for companies who delay recalls, withhold information and mislead consumers.(4)
- Send health delegates to Codex meetings to prevent commercial interests being prioritised over public and planetary health. Codex must harmonise texts with WHA recommendations and ONE HEALTH principles.(5)
- WHO Beyond 2030 WHO must continue working on the Commercial Determinants of Health. Member States must have space to report back and improve policies that prevent Predatory and fraudulent marketing of Ultra Processed Products.
- Ensure strong national Emergency Preparedness Plans that EXLUDE any weakening of labelling for foods for mothers, infants and young children.
Notes
(1) Supporting member states in reaching informed decision-making on engaging with private sector entities for the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases: a practical tool. WHO’s 2024) WHO calls for “… transparent and informed decision-making processes … proper due diligence and to identify and manage risks enhance their decision-making capacity and unlock untapped opportunities while safeguarding public health from risks, including undue influence and conflicts of interest …measures to identify, avoid and manage or mitigate conflicts of interest and prevent the interference of private sector entities in public health policy development…
(2) WHO/UNICEF/IBFAN State of Code report 2026
(3) AELAMA Briefing: Breastfeeding and Obesity Prevention: Five Key Messages
(4) Ultra-processed foods: time to put health before profit The Lancet Vol. 406 No. 10520p2601
(5) IBFAN brochure on Formula Contamination
(6) Codex is currently assessing the risk of Recycled Plastic Packaging, that evidence suggests is just as hazardous/toxic as virgin plastic, with same endocrine disrupting chemicals that migrate into foods with many adverse effects. Babies, young children and their mothers are most at risk from toxic chemicals contained in plastics that harms their physical, intellectual and reproductive health, both now and in the future. Yet they have no voice to express the problems they face. As well as following ONE HEALTH principles Member States must support and improve the Plastic Treaty, ensure that it includes women and children .The Triple Planetary Crisis addresses Climate Change, Biodiversity Loss, Pollution and Waste
(5) New Codex Guidelines will allow ‘flexibility’ for the labelling of formulas and baby foods in emergencies. IBFAN fears this will open the door to exploitation by those who seek to undermine breastfeeding and create markets. Any deregulation risks the health and survival of displaced families, while undermining the tracking of contaminated products. During COVID, companies claimed that their formulas provided immunity, and during floods that they would aid ‘recovery.’
