The UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative has recently received several enquires regarding study days sponsored by the formula milk industry. These have ranged from holding such a study day on NHS trust premises, to members of staff attending and speaking at these days.

The Baby Friendly Initiative requires that all health-care facilities seeking Baby Friendly accreditation adhere to the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes. Information on formula milks provided to health professionals in order to allow them to support mothers who do not breastfeed, should be scientific and factual and free from promotion.

Health professionals are the ideal conduit for promoting formula milk. They engender public trust and respect and have easy access to virtually all new mothers and babies. The ‘halo effect’ of having mothers associate the company brand with a health professional is highly valued. However, for this to happen, the companies need access to those health professionals. As recently as ten years ago, company representatives had free access to many health-care premises and induced health professionals to attend their talks with hospitality and free materials. With increased support for breastfeeding in the health services, health professionals have gradually become much more aware of the real purpose of this ‘generosity’ and its negative effect on breastfeeding and efforts to support informed choice. Subsequently, much of this easy access to health professionals has stopped.

Sponsored study days are a highly effective mechanism for circumventing workplace controls on access by milk reps and so gaining direct access to health professionals.

The study days no longer directly focus on breast and bottle feeding, which would only arouse suspicion, but rather are specialist in nature, focussing on, for example, allergy or growth, thus reassuring prospective participants of their legitimacy. Participants are asked to register for the study day, so providing the company with lists of contact details for future promotional opportunities. At the event itself there are opportunities for introductions, closing statements, the odd lecture by company representatives and promotional materials that can be given to everyone who attends. The result of this is health professionals who are highly aware of the company’s brand and product, informed of the product’s key selling points, in possession of company materials and possibly well disposed to the company providing them with ‘free’ education. If any of this is then passed on to parents, the company’s outlay can be justified to shareholders as being designed to increase profits.

The Baby Friendly Initiative standards do not expressly prohibit health professionals’ attendance at formula company study days. However, attendance is strongly discouraged. Any health professional considering attending such a day, should ask themselves:

· Whether attendance is really necessary for their education

· Whether it is compatible with their Code of Conduct and responsibilities to implement best practice

· How their attendance will reflect on their employing institution and its stated values

· What effect their attendance could have on the families they serve.

If a decision is made to attend, the health professional should be highly aware of the true purpose of the day and make every effort to ensure that their attendance does not compromise the content, emphasis or tone of information imparted to parents.