Jakarta.
More than 2.5 million of the 5 million babies born in Indonesia each year do
not fully benefit from breastfeeding during their early years of life due to
the mass advertising of breast-milk substitutes, a recent report from the
United Nation Children's Fund found.
“There
has been important progress in breastfeeding rates in recent years. However,
millions of babies miss out on this best possible start in life because parents
receive conflicting information about what’s best for their young children,”
Unicef Indonesia's chief of nutrition Harriet Torlesse said in a statement on
Friday (13/05).
Babies
are breastfed for the first six months without additional water or other foods,
she said. For the next 18 months, breastfeeding should be continued alongside
the introduction of other safe and nutritionally adequate foods.
Unicef
said only 42 percent of infants under 6 months old are exclusively breastfed in
Indonesia, although it is recorded that most babies — around 96 percent — are
breastfed by their mothers.
However,
only 55 percent of the babies are still given breast milk when they approach
their second birthday, falling well short of the idea.
The
report, published jointly by the World Health Organization (WHO, Unicef and the
International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN), showed massive promotion and
advertising of milk formulas and milk targeted to children under the age of
three is partly to blame.
Torlesse
said legislation is needed to promote breastfeeding by panning the advertising
of breast-milk substitute products.
“While we
should continue our efforts to increase exclusive breastfeeding rates, we must
also protect, promote and support continued breastfeeding until children are at
least two years old,” Torlesse said.
Of the
194 countries analyzed in the report, Indonesia is one of 135 countries which
have some form of legal measure related to the International Code of Marketing
of Breast-Milk Substitutes and relevant resolutions adopted by the World Health
Assembly.
Current
laws prohibit the promotion of formula milk to infants under six months in
health facilities. Nutritionists and health facilities are not permitted to
sell, give or promote formula to under six month olds.
There are
some restrictions on the labeling and advertising of milk products targeting
infants under a year old.
However,
the 2016 Access to Nutrition Index reported over 1,000 incidents of
non-compliance with the Code by various manufacturers and distributors.
“This is
deeply troubling because incorrect and misleading information through
advertising and promotion by baby milk companies and retailers confuses parents
and undermines their confidence in breastfeeding,” Torlesse said.
The
breast-milk substitute business is believed to reach Rp 25.8 trillion ($ 1.9
million) in Indonesia this year.
A recent
study from Unicef, the University of Padjajaran and Alive & Thrive showed
the country would save Rp 20 trillion each year in health care costs and wages.
It also revealed that improved breastfeeding in Indonesia could save 5,377
child lives and around Rp 3 trillion in health costs every year by preventing
childhood illnesses such as pneumonia and diarrhoea.
In
addition, boosting breastfeeding could save Rp 17 trillion in wages each year
due to improvements in cognitive ability and increased earnings in later life.
To be in
line with Health Ministry recommendations on breastfeeding, the scope of the
national legislation must be extended to include the promotion and advertising
of all milk products that are specifically marketed for feeding infants and
young children up to the age of three years.
No comments:
Post a Comment