The regulations for the marketing of infant formula and follow-on formula in the UK have recently been updated and the government is conducting a review of how effective the regulations are over the next 12 months.

You can help to enforce and strengthen the law by reporting any formula marketing practices that worry you. These may be leaflets, flyers, pamphlets or adverts with company branding, training days for health workers organised by formula companies, or approaches by company representatives to speak with or train staff.

We believe that company marketing should not undermine breastfeeding and that parents and carers who use formula have a right to independent and objective information. Health workers should not be targeted by companies but rather information on formulas should either be peer-reviewed or come through a designated contact health worker after evaluation.

The BFLG experts will contact you to check any confidentiality issues before using anything that may be sensitive. They can take cases of illegal action to Trading Standards for action. They are also producing monitoring reports which are going to the government review. You can find copies of these on the site.

Many thanks for any action you are able to take.