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Last month, the World Health Organization released a report on the extent of exploitative formula milk marketing around the globe. The report shows how formula milk companies are paying social media platforms and influencers to gain direct access to pregnant women and mothers at some of the most vulnerable moments in their lives. The $55 billion a year global formula milk industry is targeting new mothers with personalized social media content that is often not recognizable as advertising.

This pervasive marketing is increasing purchases of breast-milk substitutes and therefore dissuading mothers from breastfeeding exclusively, as recommended by WHO.

“The promotion of commercial milk formulas should have been terminated decades ago,” said Dr. Francesco Branca, director of the WHO Nutrition and Food Safety Department. “The fact that formula milk companies are now employing even more powerful and insidious marketing techniques to drive up their sales is inexcusable and must be stopped.”

The report summarizes findings of new research that sampled and analyzed 4 million social media posts about infant feeding published in 2021. These posts reached 2.47 billion people and generated more than 12 million likes, shares or comments.

Sources: The American Academy of Pediatrics, World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention