On 16 August 2022, the DST-NRF Centre of Excellence in Food Security held a Food Imbizo, in celebration of World Breastfeeding Week 2022. The Food Imbizo focused specifically on “Stepping up: exposing infant formula marketing tactics” and exploring ways to educate and support breastfeeding mothers. The WHO and the national Department of Health recommend and promote exclusive breastfeeding for all infants for the first six months of life. Still, one in four infants under the age of six months are fed exclusively with formula and only one in three infants are exclusively breastfed - far from the global target of 50%. In South Africa, mothers face a social environment that is hostile to breastfeeding, despite the many benefits. The question remains, what will it take to improve and strengthen the control of the inappropriate and unethical marketing of infant formula in South Africa?

Prof Tanya Doherty (SAMRC) outlined several of the benefits of breastfeeding. According to Prof Doherty, breastfeeding profoundly influences a child’s development, survival, and health and sets the path for adulthood. It can also benefit the mother, reducing the chances of ovarian cancer and type 2 diabetes. Several factors influence a mother’s choice to breastfeed including work constraints and poor health care support, but there are very few legitimate reasons not to breastfeed. The biggest influence in making this decision is the aggressive marketing of formula milk products.

Dr Chantell Witten (UWC) argues that there are opportunities in South Africa’s policy framework to regulate the marketing of formula and encourage breastfeeding. The R991 (2012) for example, provides several clauses that regulate the labelling of formulas, reducing confusing messaging and providing accurate information to consumers. It also provides an opportunity to hold health care workers accountable for breaching ethical aspects such as paid partnerships. There is, however, still a significant gap in encouraging and supporting breastfeeding practices.

The Director for Nutrition at NDoH, Rebone Ntsi says that one of the problems is that regulations are technical and difficult to understand, which means that people are not always aware when regulations are being violated. The government is reworking some of the regulations to close the loopholes, but more public involvement is needed to identify the grey areas.

According to Dr Witten, even if mothers did want to breastfeed, they need an enabling environment to do so. The government needs to ensure comprehensive maternity protection for all mothers, while the public needs to help change the cultural perspective around breastfeeding. Platforms such as the Food Imbizo offers us all a chance to contribute to the dialogue and share these perspectives with the greater public.

You can watch the full Food Imbizo here.