Bauchi State Coordinator of National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Mrs. Josephine Dayilim, has reprimanded violators of International Code of Marketing of Breasmilk Substitutes (MBS), in Nigeria to desist or be jailed.
Mrs. Josephine made the pronouncement while presenting a Paper titled overview of the BMS Code/Role of the Media in promoting Code compliance, in a one day orientation meeting organized for media practitioners and social media producers on Maternal, Infant and Young Children Nutrition (MICYN) by an NGO known as Alive & Thrive held recently at Hazibal Hotel, Bauchi.
She reiterated that any company or individuals who go against the international Code would be forced to forfeit the offending items on conviction no matter the quantity or its cost.
The NAFDAC Coordinator therefore, appealed to the participating journalists to report the violation of BMS by vendors and manufacturers across the country particularly in Bauchi State.
She emphasized that the agency needs the support of journalists in Bauchi State to effectively monitor and report violators of national regulations by manufacturers of BMS products Code.
According to her, “The implementation of the Code was designed to protect, promote and support breastfeeding and prevent health caregivers from aggressive marketing of breastmilk substitutes by infant food manufacturers”.
“Lack of awareness of stakeholders, including the media, had also contributed to the gravity of violations currently being practiced by the offenders”, she said.
“The aim of the Code is to contribute to the provision of safe and adequate nutrition for infants, by protection and promotion of breastfeeding, and by ensuring the proper use of breastmilk substitutes”, she explained.
The scope of the Code applies to the marketing, and practices related thereto, of the following products: breastmilk substitutes, including infant formula; other milk products, foods and beverages.
It also includes bottle-fed complementary foods, when marketed or otherwise represented to be suitable, with or without modification, for use as a partial or total replacement of breastmilk; feeding bottles and teats. It also applies to their quality and availability, and to information concerning their use
On information and education, NAFDAC advocated that governments should have the responsibility to ensure that objective and consistent information is provided on infant and young child feeding for use by families and those involved in the field of infant and young child nutrition.
Also, informational and educational materials, whether written, audio, or visual, dealing with the feeding of infants and intended to reach pregnant women and mothers of infants and young children, should include clear information on all the following points:
The benefits and superiority of breastfeeding, maternal nutrition, and the preparation for and maintenance of breastfeeding; the negative effect on breastfeeding of introducing partial bottle feeding; the difficulty of reversing the decision not to breastfeed; and, where needed, the proper use of infant formula, whether manufactured industrially or home-prepared.
