"Chaos" in formula milk advertising
(Baonghean) - Although Decree 100/2014/ND-CP regulating the trading and use of nutritional products for children took effect more than a year ago (from March 1, 2015),advertising and selling the above productsThere has not been much change yet.
"Maze" of advertising and promotions
On the morning of March 15, surveying a number of stores and mini supermarkets selling nutritional products and health care for mothers and babies on Dinh Cong Trang, Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, Nguyen Van Cu streets (Vinh City)... it was easy to see that advertising signs of milk companies were hung and posted openly right in front of the stores. The advertising content was very diverse but mainly aimed at promoting the wonderful effects of formula milk on the development of height, weight, and intelligence of children from 0 to 3 years old.
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| Customers look for nutritional products for children at a store on Dinh Cong Trang Street. |
In the role of someone choosing to buy milk for her 1-month-old niece, we were quickly advised by the owner of a milk shop on Dinh Cong Trang Street that there are many types of milk for newborns, the price depends on whether it is a domestic or foreign brand. Expressing concerns about the nutrition of formula milk for children's development, the shop owner affirmed that "all types of milk have been thoroughly researched by the world's leading scientists, are good substitutes for breast milk, so feel free to use them!". The shop also introduced us to all kinds of feeding bottles and nipples from American, German, Japanese brands... and advised that we should bottle-feed our babies as soon as possible so that they can become independent soon!
To attract customers, milk companies constantly launch many promotions, discounts, gifts, bonus points, etc., so these products sell very well.
Not only in stores and supermarkets, but in reality, there are many forms of advertising and propaganda of nutritional products that replace breast milk, making many fathers and mothers feel lost in a "maze". Ms. Nguyen Thi Giang (Le Mao ward - Vinh city) has a son of preschool age, said that in the afternoons at pick-up time, in front of the school gate, there are often staff members of milk companies standing to greet and distribute leaflets advertising the products.
“Even though I am breastfeeding my child, I still watch so many advertisements that sometimes I wonder if breast milk is not nutritious enough, not as good as formula milk. My grandparents sometimes pick up their grandchild and receive milk advertising leaflets, so they discuss with my husband and I that we should buy formula milk for our child to grow taller quickly,” Ms. Giang confided.
Dr. Nguyen Ba Tan - Director of the Provincial Center for Reproductive Health Care affirmed that there is no nutritional product better for children than breast milk. Breast milk helps the digestive system to be healthy, easy to absorb, helping children develop comprehensively in terms of physical, mental and intellectual aspects. Meanwhile, using nutritional products that replace breast milk for a long time has many potential risks, the child's resistance will be weaker, the child may have jaundice, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, early puberty... |
Foreign trend
Talking to some shop owners and residents about the contents of Decree 100/2014/ND-CP, many people were quite surprised and shared that they had never heard of this decree.
A shop owner on Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street said that they only sell the products registered in their license, while the milk companies themselves bring promotions, gifts, banners, advertising posters, etc. to customers, or ask the shop owner to inform customers.
As for advising customers on which milk is good for their children, it is only based on the benefits of each type of milk printed on the packaging. They believe that doing so is not wrong, and up to now, there has never been a case of children being affected by the nutritional products that replace breast milk that they recommend.
Mr. Hoang Van Hao - Deputy Director of the Department of Health said that the propaganda and dissemination of Decree 100/2014/ND-CP has been regularly deployed by the provincial health sector, thereby, the awareness and compliance of medical staff and employees about the contents of the decree are quite good. However, only in medical facilities is not enough. It cannot be denied that the understanding and awareness of a part of the people, especially business establishments about the decree is still limited. The reason is that in the past, the communication work on this issue has not been really synchronous, has not had a strong spread; a part of business people chasing profits still disregard the law; the "foreign preference" trend of some young fathers and mothers thinks that formula milk is better than breast milk...
Section 2, Article 11, Chapter IV of Decree 100/2014/ND-CP clearly states that production and business establishmentsimpossible: - Organizing the production and trading of nutritional products for young children that do not comply with published regulations or standards; products that have expired; products without labels or packaging; - Sending employees to directly or indirectly contact mothers, pregnant women or their family members at medical facilities or outside medical facilities for the purpose of advertising, promoting and encouraging the use of breast milk substitutes; - Organize the display of breast milk substitutes and supplementary foods for children under 6 months of age at medical facilities; display names and logos of breast milk substitutes on banners, posters and other advertising materials in supermarkets, retail stores and medical facilities; - Apply promotional measures for breast milk substitute products such as giving away samples, coupons, prizes, gifts, bonus points, discounts or any other form... |
Phuong Chi
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