NOTIFICATION BANNING ADVERTISEMENTS
ON INFANT FOOD TO BE
EFFECTIVE FROM 1ST JANUARY 2004
The Government has
notified that the amendments to the Infant Milk Substitutes, Feeding
Bottles and Infant Foods (Regulation of production, Supply and
Distribution) Act, 1992 would come into force from 1st
January 2004. An earlier notification had made the amendments
effective from 1st November this year.
Advertising for infant
milk substitutes and other infant foods will be prohibited on
all forms of mass media from January 1st next year.
The ban on advertising of infant foods is meant to protect and
promote breast-feeding. Recent findings have suggested that the
infant thrives best on exclusive breast-feeding for the first
six months of life and continued breast-feeding together with
complementary foods for the first two years. The World Health
Assembly resolution of 1994 also calls upon member states of the
WHO to foster such feeding practices for infants.
The amendments also
expand the purview of the Act to include diverse products being
marketed as a complement to mother’s food and to include different
types of people associated with marketing/representing such products.
The amendments to
the Infant Milk Substitutes Act are the outcome of a long process
that started with the Government constituting a Task Force for
this purpose, comprising representatives from various ministries
and departments of the Central Government and voluntary agencies.
The National Commission for Women had also suggested modifications
in the Act. Taking into consideration the recommendations of these
two bodies, and difficulties being experiences in the implementation
of the provisions of the Act owing to great expansion of the electronic
media over the years, the Government brought out the present amendments.
The important amendments
in the principal Act are:
- Strengthening the existing provisions
on publicity and advertisement to cover recent methods of
advertising and promotion like electronic transmission and
audio-visual transmission.
- Continued breast-feeding "up
to the age of two years" along with complementary food after
"six months" (in place of the earlier "four months") has been
incorporated in the definition of "infant food".
- Continued breast-feeding "up
to the age of two years" has been incorporated in the definition
of "infant food".
- To cover recent products which
may attempt to get around the principal Act, "infant foods"
have been brought at par with "infant milk substitutes" in
so far as advertising, promotion and other regulations are
concerned.
- Health care workers, pharmacies
and drug stores and professional associations of health workers
have been brought within the purview of the Act.
- Violations of the Rules made
under the Act have also been made punishable.
