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  • Title: WHO accused of stifling debate about infant feeding.
    Author: Ferriman A.
    Journal: BMJ; 2000 May 20; 320(7246):1362. PubMed ID: 10818022.
    Abstract:
    International specialists in infant feeding expressed concern that the policy of WHO of establishing partnerships with private industry has gone too far, with the result that debate about the infant food industry's role in marketing breast milk substitutes is being stifled. Specialists, who want the WHO to recommend exclusive breast-feeding to babies up to 6 months, claim that at a recent joint meeting on infant feeding they were prevented from discussing the issue. In addition, some papers intended for the meeting were edited so that they were less critical to the infant food industry. Although 20 of the 28 consultants signed a statement saying that scientific evidence was now sufficient to warrant changing of the current WHO recommendation on the introduction of complementary feeding from age 4-6 months to about 6 months, no discussion was allowed. In response, a spokesman for the WHO stated that the current recommendation of WHO on the duration of exclusive breast-feeding was excluded in the discussion because of the WHO¿s research that is under way in this connection. As far as the alleged censorship of the background papers is concerned, he explained that WHO documents have to conform to a high standard of scientific objectivity and balance. Lastly, WHO cited that the food industry continues to play an important and constructive role in relation to infant feeding.
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