WHO and UNICEF have warned that Vietnamese children's health could be atrisk because of inappropriate labelling and marketing of breast milksubstitutes on sale.
Incorrectly renaming breastmilk substitutes as "complementary food" or "nutrition products", makesthem fall outside the regulatory authority of the Ministry of Finance,they said.
Also, the price of breast milksubstitutes on sale in Vietnam remains a controversy. Much of the mediarefer to the cost as vastly inflated.
At the sametime, the labelling issue affects the implementation of the Law onAdvertisements which came into force in January. This law bansadvertisements for breast milk substitutes for children up to two years.
The use of these terms is said to be confusing forconsumers, distracting buyers from the global evidence that providesclear recommendations for feeding infants and young children.
WHO and UNICEF said that infants should be exclusively breastfed forthe first six months of life to achieve optimal growth, development andhealth. From the age of six months, breast milk remains the mostappropriate liquid part of a diet for most children up to two years ofage, once complementary feeding has begun.
WHOwarns that specially formulated milks or so-called "follow-up milks" arenot necessary, and even unsuitable when used as a breast-milkreplacement. Current formulations lead to higher protein intake andlower intake of essential fatty acids, iron, zinc and B vitamins thanthose recommended by WHO for adequate growth and development of infantsand young children.
In Vietnam wrongly labellingformula milk as "complementary food" has already caused confusion.Complementary feeding refers to the period when breast milk alone is nolonger sufficient to meet the nutritional requirements of infants andyoung children, and other foods are needed, along with breast milk.Simply because a product is fed during the complementary feeding periodbetween eight and 24 months, as in the case of "follow-up" formula, doesnot mean it is a complementary food.
Nguyen ThanhLan, mother of an 18-year-month boy in Hai Ba Trung District, said shedid not pay attention to the labelling of formula milk as complementaryfoods or baby formula when choosing milk powder products. "I do notclearly understand the differences between quality of milk productslabelled as supplementary foods and baby formula."
To safeguard the health and development of Vietnamese children, WHO andUNICEF strongly recommend that the Ministries of Health and Financeclassify "follow-up" formulas correctly as milk products. This wouldensure that they will be subject to price control and covered bymarketing restrictions as contained in the International Code onMarketing of Breastmilk Substitutes.-VNA