(Bloomberg) — Infant-formula makers’ use social media and influencers to target women and boost sales undermines efforts to increase breastfeeding rates, according to a new study by the World Health Organization.
Companies use personalized content through apps, paid influencers and advice forums to reach consumers, the WHO report said, adding these are often not recognizable as advertising.
The results build on the WHO’s largest-ever study on infant formula marketing, and come at a challenging time for infant-formula makers. The pandemic has led to lower birth rates just as competition from local rivals has become more intense in key market China. Nestle SA, for example, has been trying to revive the business in that market, while Reckitt Benckiser Group Plc has started a sale of its baby nutrition business after exiting China last year.
The report analyzed 4 million social media posts about infant feeding published in the six months through June last year. The posts reached almost 2.5 billion people, according to the report. It found that firms selling formula uploaded content around 90 times per day, reaching 229 million users — three times as many people as are reached by informational posts about breastfeeding from non-commercial accounts.
“This pervasive marketing is increasing purchases of breast-milk substitutes and therefore dissuading mothers from breastfeeding exclusively,” the report said.
A Nestle spokesperson said that the vast majority of information about breast milk substitute products on digital platforms is generated by independent retailers and private individuals with no contractual relationship with the Swiss manufacturer. Nestle complies with all data privacy and marketing laws and works closely with online retailers “within our sphere of influence” on the importance of complying with the WHO code on marketing breast milk substitutes, she added in an emailed statement.
Nestle doesn’t promote formula for babies up to 12 months in 163 countries, and will voluntarily stop promoting formula for infants up to six months around the globe by the end of the year.
The WHO has been trying for years to rein in formula-milk marketing as it believes it’s disruptive to efforts to increase the rate of breastfeeding around the world. The health organization considers breastfeeding more nutritious and healthier than substitutes.
Danone encourages maternal breastfeeding and is “extremely responsible in its approach” CEO Antoine de Saint-Affrique said at the company’s AGM earlier this week.
A spokesperson for Danone said on Friday that the company does not advertise formulas for children up to six months anywhere in the world “on any channel, digital or otherwise, even if permitted by local law.” She added that it extended this restriction to 12 months in countries with high rates of acute malnutrition and infant mortality.
(Updates with additional Nestle and Danone comments from seventh paragraph)
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
©2022 Bloomberg L.P.
