The World Health Organization’s International Code of Marketing of Breast-Milk Substitutes sets out restrictions on the marketing of infant formula and other products which replace mothers’ milk. The ARCH Project supports countries’ efforts to enforce and monitor the BMS Code at the national level. We have compiled our published resources on the BMS Code below…
The ARCH team is celebrating World Breastfeeding Week (August 1-7) to elevate the importance of breastfeeding and highlight the barriers that women face when deciding how to feed their babies. Headlines over the past month have brought breastfeeding to the forefront, igniting a debate over the influence that breastmilk substitute manufacturers have (or don’t have)…
July 12, 2018 As a global health organization, Helen Keller International (HKI) fully supports the World Health Organization’s (WHO) guidance on optimal infant and young child feeding which promotes the early initiation of breastfeeding at birth followed by exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months when appropriate complementary foods should be introduced alongside continued breastfeeding until the…
Writing for Malnutrition Deeply, ARCH Director Elizabeth Zehner explains the significance of the newly released 2018 Access to Nutrition Index and what it says about the behavior of breast-milk substitute manufacturers: Since 1981, The World Health Organization (WHO) has called on countries, health systems and manufacturers to implement the International Code of Marketing of Breast-Milk Substitutes as part…
La malnutrition est la cause sous-jacente de 2,7 millions de décès d’enfants de moins de cinq ans chaque année, soit 45% de tous les décès d’enfants. Une nutrition optimale les deux premières années de vie est essentielle pour promouvoir une croissance et un développement sains. Pour améliorer la survie de l’enfant, il est donc important…
The ARCH Indonesia research team recently reached a data collection milestone: the completion of 595 interviews with mothers of children under three years old in Bandung City, West Java. These interviews were conducted as part of a study designed to assess mothers’ exposure to advertising and other promotional practices for commercial foods for young children,…
This report, authored by Save the Children UK and endorsed by Helen Keller International, highlights the rapid growth of the market for baby milk formula and its potential to threaten the lives and the health of millions of vulnerable children. While recognizing the need for certain infants to be formula-fed and the right of mothers…
Since 2015, ARCH has investigated how commercially produced foods for infants and young children are promoted in various countries and settings. Our research was sparked by a growing concern that optimal infant and child feeding practices – such as exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months – are increasingly undermined by the inappropriate and aggressive…
The 142nd session of the World Health Organization’s Executive Board takes place this week (22-27 January 2018) in Geneva, Switzerland. The Executive Board provides direction and input on World Health Organization priorities related to a broad range of health concerns. At this week’s meeting, a biennial report on the Comprehensive Implementation Plan on Maternal, Infant…
This research poster was presented by Alissa Pries at the International Union of Nutrition Scientists 21st International Congress of Nutrition held in Buenos Aires, Argentina from 15-20 October 2017.