The idealisation of bottle feeding: content analysis of feeding bottles and teats packages in Uruguay

Alcaire, Florencia; Antúnez, Lucía; Vidal, Letícia; León, Carolina de; Girona, Alejandra; Rodríguez, Roberto Sánchez; Giménez, Ana; Bové, Isabel; Ares, Gastón

doi:10.1017/s1368980020004176

Cited by 5 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 25 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…These marketing cues can be defined as any textual or visual element of the labels that may create an idealized image of the use of human-milk substitutes or the belief that they are equivalent or superior to human-milk (WHO & UNICEF, 2017b). Similar results have been recently reported for the labels of other products included in IC, like foods targeted at infants and young children, feeding bottles and teats (Alcaire et al, 2020;Karageuzián et al, 2021;Pomeranz et al, 2018).…”

supporting

confidence: 89%

The Idealization of Infant Formula: A Longitudinal Analysis of Labels in Uruguay

Rodríguez

León²,

Girona

et al. 2023

J Hum Lact

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Labels are a key element of the marketing strategies of infant formula companies, and often include text or images that idealize their use, undermining efforts to promote breastfeeding. Research Aims: To evaluate the prevalence of marketing cues that idealize infant formula on labels of products commercialized in Uruguay and to assess changes after a periodic monitoring of compliance with the International Code of Marketing of Breast-Milk Substitutes (IC). Method: This study is a descriptive, observational, and longitudinal assessment of the information included on infant formula labels. The first data collection was in 2019, as part of a periodic assessment to monitor the marketing of human-milk substitutes. In 2021, the same products were purchased to evaluate changes in their labels. Thirty-eight products were identified in 2019, of which 33 were still available in 2021. All information available on the labels was analyzed through content analysis. Results: Most products included at least one textual or visual marketing cue idealizing infant formula in both 2019 (n = 30, 91%) and 2021 (n = 29, 88%). This represents a violation of both the IC and national regulations. References to nutritional composition were the most frequent marketing cue, followed by references to child growth and development. No relevant changes were observed after the periodic assessment conducted by the Uruguayan government. Conclusions: Monitoring compliance with the IC per se cannot be expected to trigger changes in the marketing strategies of infant formula companies. More explicit regulations and strong enforcement mechanisms are needed to end the inappropriate marketing practices on infant formula labels.

show abstract

supporting

confidence: 89%

The Idealization of Infant Formula: A Longitudinal Analysis of Labels in Uruguay

Rodríguez

León²,

Girona

et al. 2023

J Hum Lact

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Some examples included a study examining nine companies in 14 countries (Burkina Faso, Canada, China, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Singapore, The Philippines, United States, and Vietnam; Ching et al, 2021) and another carried out in four countries (Cambodia, Nepal, Senegal, and Tanzania; Sweet et al, 2016), which found explicit invitations on the packaging to interact with the manufacturer's “nutrition experts” or join a baby club for special offers (Ching et al, 2021; Sweet et al, 2016). Similar branding used across products for different ages was found in Nepal (Pries et al, 2016), and a lack of information about risks from improper use was reported in Uruguay (Alcaire et al, 2020). In a study in Ecuador, more than half of the BMS labels contained texts or images that idealized their use (Caicedo‐Borrás et al, 2021).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 79%

“…Promotion via nutrition and health claims was reported in 66 studies, including statements making claims to benefit child health and development from Cambodia and Nepal (Champeny et al, 2019) and from a multi‐country study in Europe (Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary, and Israel; WHO Regional Office for Europe, 2019a), to help with digestion, support for cognitive development and aid to the immune system in an Australian study (Berry & Gribble, 2017). Promotion of feeding bottles and teats also included claims such as “proven to reduce colic” reported in Uruguay (Alcaire et al, 2020).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, 41% of interviewed mothers in a study from Ethiopia reported that they had seen BMS advertising, and 74% of the violations reported occurring through TV promotions (Laillou et al, 2021). Promotion via parent magazines was highlighted in a study in Taiwan (Chen) and in a Chinese study "premiumization" and "nutrition and science" were the main marketing appeal strategies on the BMS companies' websites and e-commerce platforms studied (Han, 2020) | 7 of 14 about risks from improper use was reported in Uruguay (Alcaire et al, 2020). In a study in Ecuador, more than half of the BMS labels contained texts or images that idealized their use (Caicedo-Borrás et al, 2021).…”

Section: Iycf Companymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Promotion of feeding bottles and teats also included claims such as "proven to reduce colic" reported in Uruguay (Alcaire et al, 2020).…”

Section: Iycf Companymentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Global evidence of persistent violations of the International Code of Marketing of Breast‐milk Substitutes: A systematic scoping review

Becker

Zambrano²,

Ching

et al. 2022

Maternal & Child Nutrition

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The influence of marketing on infant and young child feeding and health is well recognized, and an International Code was adopted by the World Health Assembly (WHA) in 1981 to reduce inappropriate marketing and protect breastfeeding. Yet the marketing and influencing continue. This scoping review systematically examined the published research evidence on the nature and extent of exposure to International Code violations from 1981 to August 2021. We used several search strategies involving multi-language databases, organization websites, citation tracking, and expert consultation, to find research items meeting our inclusion criteria. We evaluated 657 items and retained 153 studies from at least 95 countries in the review. The majority of the studies (n = 113) documenting exposure to inappropriate marketing were published since 2010. Studies reported a broad range of marketing violations targeting mothers and families, health workers, and the general public. Marketing via digital platforms and brand extension has become more frequent. The evidence shows the use of misleading and inaccurate labeling and health and nutrition claims in breach of the Code. Our review confirms that violations of the Code have not ceased and calls for renewed attention from the WHA and national governments to protect the health of children and their mothers.

show abstract

National survey of infant feeding bottles in Germany: Their characteristics and marketing claims

Theurich,

Ziebart,

Strobl

2024

Maternal & Child Nutrition

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Bottles and teats are ubiquitously used for feeding infants and young children. Yet there are limited empirical studies on the scope of infant feeding bottles, their attributes, or their marketing claims. We report the first comprehensive survey on infant feeding bottles and teats in Germany. We aimed to explore the extent of bottles and teats available in Germany, describe their physical attributes and analyze their marketing claims. A cross‐sectional survey of German bottle and teat manufacturer websites was conducted between June and November 2022. Product attributes are presented with descriptive statistics and photographs. Marketing claims are summarized in a descriptive content analysis. We identified 41 brands encompassing 447 unique products (226 bottles, 221 teats). The majority of bottles were plastic (147, 65%) or glass (64, 28%), and the majority of teats were silicone (188, 85%). Most brands (38, 93%) promoted products using one or more inappropriate marketing claims, including equivalency to breastfeeding (29, 73%), idealization through technical or medical descriptions (23, 58%), claims on disease prevention (31, 78%), references to naturalness (29, 73%), infant autonomy (10, 25%), and endorsements from parents (10, 25%) or health professionals (11, 28%). The majority of bottles and teats available in Germany appear to be marketed inappropriately and hold the potential to undermine public health recommendations on infant and young child feeding. Therefore, we recommend Germany strengthens legislation on the marketing of bottles and teats in accordance with the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes.

show abstract

The idealisation of bottle feeding: content analysis of feeding bottles and teats packages in Uruguay

Cited by 5 publications

References 25 publications

The Idealization of Infant Formula: A Longitudinal Analysis of Labels in Uruguay

The Idealization of Infant Formula: A Longitudinal Analysis of Labels in Uruguay

Global evidence of persistent violations of the International Code of Marketing of Breast‐milk Substitutes: A systematic scoping review

National survey of infant feeding bottles in Germany: Their characteristics and marketing claims

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About