Maternal, Infant and Young Child Nutrition (MIYCN) Working Group: Using the Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes to Guide the Marketing of Complementary Foods to Protect Optimal Infant Feeding Practices

This Working Paper represents the efforts of members of the ‘Sub-group on Integration of Breastfeeding and the Other Guiding Principles of Young Child Feeding with Use of Fortified Products for Complementary Feeding’ formed under the Maternal, Infant and Young Child Nutrition Working Group of the 10 Year Strategy to Reduce Vitamin and Mineral Deficiencies. The raison d’être for the Sub-group to develop this Working Paper stems from the recognition that many questions exist on how the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes applies to the marketing of commercialized complementary foods and supplements, an intervention area that has gained both increased attention and investment over the past years, to ensure that optimal breastfeeding practices are protected and promoted. An urgent need was felt as already private companies are producing complementary food and supplement products in areas of the world where undernutrition rates are high and infant feeding practices fragile and sub-optimal at best. Therefore, it was felt that some guidance was needed, even if preliminary and incomplete, that could provide governments, private companies and other interested groups basic information on the appropriate marketing of complementary foods and supplements that would also ensure the protection and promotion of optimal infant feeding practices.