You may wonder how this module is relevant for your practice. An understanding of the history of artificial infant formula promotion and the impact it has had on breastfeeding will help you to understand how your values, the values of the mothers you assist and the community in which you live have been formed.

Artificial infant formula manufacturers are businesses, large businesses with shareholders whose concern is profit. Even though a LOT of evidence exists that artificial infant formula causes serious acute and chronic diseases and developmental and neurological damage to babies and children, and that in developing countries it is deadly, it is still marketed unethically to those who don't need it with the aim being to limit breastfeeding and increase profits, at the expense of our children. The World's first international code of practice ever developed to regulate the practices of trans-national corporations had to be developed specifically to curb the marketing practices of artificial formula manufacturers - a sad indictment.

The formula industry puts corporate profits before child health by subtle and less subtle marketing to parents, wooing of health professionals and disregard for national and international conventions. Artificial infant formula does have a role to play in infant feeding, but a professional will acquire the knowledge needed from unbiased published research, not from salesmen or saleswomen. Mothers who need to use infant formula can receive accurate, unbiased information from their health professional.

When you are aware of their practices you will realise that free lunches, pens, diaries or other give-aways are only given to you for one purpose - so that you will promote their product - and it works! A similar problem exists with pharmaceutical companies and the medical profession. Evidence is very clear that accepting their give-aways does influence the medical and nursing professional even when they don't think it does.^1,2,3