What is the Real Cost of Baby Formula?

I support women having choices in how they nourish their babies. And for mothers who can’t breastfeed for health or medical or other reasons – having a healthy option to nourish their baby is a godsend. A mother should never be shamed, punished, ridiculed, looked down upon, or made to feel bad for not choosing to breast feed her child. 

BUT:

Don’t we all remember the controversy over babies dying because their mothers fed them Western-style infant milk in the 1970’s? The boycott against Nestle, a main provider — and marketer- – of infant formula to third world mothers, when the company was accused of getting third world mothers hooked on formula? The hearings at the Senate and The World Health Organization, which resulted in changing marketing rules because babies were dying as a result of the aggressive marketing of infant formula in third world countries?

Yet, even given all this, the $70 billion baby food industry is expected to rise by 4 percent in 2018 mostly in developing nations (according to Euromonitor). Infant formula is BIG BUSINESS. 

And Nestlé created this for itself. In an article called “Babies Mean Business” from a 1982 issue of the New Internationalist, Edward Baer looks at how the infant formula industry created a need where none existed, convinced consumers that the products were indispensable, and linked products with the most desirable and unattainable concepts— before then giving a sample.

In the same article – again note 1982 – Baer highlights a passage from the Abbot Laboratories sales manual that states, “When one considers that for every 100 infants discharged on a particular formula brand, approximately 93 infants remain on that brand.” 

So formula is a money-making tool for big business that also appears to be addictive for infants – but how dangerous is it really?

In the Times, United States Agency for International Development official, Dr. Stephen Joseph, blamed reliance on baby formula for a million infant deaths every year through malnutrition and diarrheal diseases. 

It also hindered infant growth in general, said War on Want. Citing "complex links emerging between breast feeding and emotional and physical development," the group said breastfed children walked "significantly better than bottle-fed" kids, and were more emotionally advanced.

Very dangerous.

And the benefits of breastfeeding? 

Studies show that breastfeeding infants leads to fewer respiratory tract infections during first year, a 50% decrease in ear infections, a 64% decrease in gastrointestinal infections, lower risk for SIDs and the development of allergies, lower rates of Type 1 diabetes, and lower obesity rates. On top of that, mothers who breast feed enjoy better long-term health – have lower risk for ovarian cancer, breast cancer, rheumatoid arthritis… 

And, now our administration in Washington not only denies that the United States’ non-endorsement of the breastfeeding resolution at the World Health Assembly in Geneva could have any potential repercussions in developing nations or any potential benefit to baby-food manufacturers like Nestle – but President Trump himself denies any fact-based research and tweets about how, “The failing NY Times Fake News story today about breast feeding must be called out.”

But for companies and governments to willfully push corporate money-making tactics over the health of babies when we KNOW the benefits of breast feeding for the babies’ health and for their mothers. We KNOW the horrific problems caused by third world mothers using infant formula – exacerbated when she doesn’t have access to clean safe water. 

For companies and governments to not support healthy nurturance of our children. TO not support women in developing healthy BABIES – our future – vulnerable children whose beginning in life is critical to the rest of their lives – to their health, to their well-being, even to their lives – and to our planet… our most precious resources.

To not care for the future of our children is to not care for the future of our world. Period.

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The Wright Foundation for the Realization of Human Potential is a leadership institute located in Chicago, Illinois. Wright Foundation performative learning programs are integrated into the curriculum at Wright Graduate University.