I have been sent this email and thought I would pass it on to anyone who is interested.


Subject: Fw: URGENT ACTION needed: RCM survey monkey questions on marketing of formula milk

Please forward this RCM survey to as many healthcare professionals or interested people as you can.
Sue Saunders
Sent: Thursday, August 21, 2008 7:22 PM

Subject:: URGENT ACTION needed: RCM survey monkey questions on marketing

Dear Colleagues
The survey monkey is up and running and closes on 31 August It only takes 5 minutes; here is how you access it:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?s...atgg6MKQ_3d_3d

It would be very helpful if you could cascade this to anyone you think might be interested.

Many thanks,
sally



KS x

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Kentish Spitfire
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"It's better to be thought a fool - rather than proved a fool!"

Done it - although I pay for my RCM subs, I rarely read the journal as I find myself incensed by the number of formula adverts. They certainly seem to have increased over the last couple of years.

It seems hypocritical to get snippy about those who use things like the VE guides because of the tiny in practice logo on the back, when our own professional body has its journal plastered with formula ads.

I so agree. I tried to emphasise on the survey that the place I saw the ads was in our journal. Whenever I get asked for feedback on RCM, I always comment about it. Membership has tried to address this over the years but the answers have been disappointing to say the least (RCM has no control over the journal?!?) and smack of double standards. I thought it would improve some years ago when it was infiltrated by the ARM lot but, sigh, it hasn't. Little or non existent branch activity does not help with the challenge either. Ee, I remember the days of activism and now we are all too tired, jaundiced and disempowered.

They would probably bypass it by claiming that they use follow on milk ads - but follow on milks are not recommended for babies under 6 months, so how are follow on milk adverts or the information contained in them relevant to midwifery practice???

Good point Dory!
What about that one on TV, 'Do I look like I need more vitamins? Do I look like I'm bothered by germs?' (or whatever it says)...to me it insinuates that the formula it is advertising is as good as breatsmilk.

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Alf x

And that was my response to the questionnaire Alf - it makes me really cross.

I breastfed all my children and feel that women should be prepared to give it a try, however I am not a zealot (as some are!) and believe that women have a choice. However, by advertising something 2nd class, are we really giving them choice?

Isn't that message just stating that their child isn't good enough to have breastmilk? Shouldn't formula milk be on prescription only like other alternatives for those with good reason not to breastfeed?

Don't you think that all the time you can walk into any shop and buy formula, you will keep the low breastfeeding rates? Or am I completely nuts? (you don't have to answer that one!)...lol

KS x

__________________
Kentish Spitfire
------------------------------------------------
"It's better to be thought a fool - rather than proved a fool!"

What I REALLY don't understand is why the government don't put money into breastfeeding ads?

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Alf x

Because, although the health benefits are proven, no-one stands to make a profit from breastfeeding

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Politics-Bre...9780269&sr=1-1

for full discussion of issues raised in this thread

My main problem with this line of argument, is that it then makes formula free. Children do not pay perscription charges.

I think the only way forward is a complete ban on formula advertising. I agree that there is a need for information about forumla but I believe that it should be unbiased information, that contains factual information not hype, spin and made up words.

Our New Zealand collegues would argue that breastfeeding is not a matter of parental choice. The attitude out there seems to be an expectation that a mother will breastfeed unless there are medical reasons why she cannot.

FB