by Amy Spangler
February 10, 2009

What do you get if you combine a sample of infant formula (containing the fatty acid DHA), a sample of a DHA supplement (intended for mom), and an excerpt from a breastfeeding book?

According to Mead Johnson, maker of infant formula, you get a Breastfeeding Support Kit. And to secure a FREE kit, you simply need to download a certificate from the manufacturer’s website, fill it out, and give it to a “participating doctor.”

Not surprising, the distribution of infant formula samples disguised as breastfeeding support kits has provoked the ire of breastfeeding advocates who rightly argue that the company’s action is a violation of the International Code of Marketing of Breast-Milk Substitutes.

Yet this is an industry long-recognized for its refusal to honor the International Code—a code of conduct that was adopted in 1981, but one that the U.S. was slow to adopt and has declined to enforce. Despite worldwide efforts to monitor the Code, violations are widespread, particularly in developed countries.

The distribution of infant formula samples is easy to understand. The industry profits when mothers feed their babies formula. But statistics show that mothers who breastfeed, seldom breastfeed for the period of time (exclusively for the first six months and in combination with other foods for at least one year) recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Moreover, when breastfeeding mothers introduce non-breast-milk supplements, they are more likely to choose infant formula over pasteurized cow’s milk, making breastfeeding mothers a target audience.

It’s unlikely that the industry will change its marketing strategies—there’s too much at stake. If you are among those who would prefer to sidestep the public outcry (despite its merits), you might consider the following actions:

• Refuse to redeem the certificates.
• Refuse to distribute FREE samples.
• Refuse to accept FREE promotional items disguised as gifts.
• Refuse to work for FREE. If you choose to become a member of the industry’s sales force, then expect pay commensurate with that of other company employees.
• Acknowledge that samples and gifts are not FREE; the cost is reflected in the cost of every container of formula sold in stores nationwide.

Perhaps you can’t change an industry’s behavior, but you can change yours.