This is a collaborative report of Canadian breastfeeding organizations that attended the Global Congress on the Implementation of the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes.
Le rapport est disponible ici en français.
Do you have a story to share about the marketing of breast-milk substitutes in Canada?
Share your own story here!
Global Code Congress Report
Video of Ms. Stephanie George’s closing comments at the Code Congress, outlining the commitments of the Canadian delegation.
Did you miss the launch of our report? Click above to watch a full recording.
“Today’s governments have an obligation to begin repairing these harms”
wa’khená:tuse’ tsi’ niyot tsi’ ayutatnu’ké:lahte’. “I show them the way that she should breastfeed them.”
Stephanie George (she/her) is onulhá/mother and aunt, atʌnoˀsʌ-/sister, daughter, and community member of the onʌyoteˀa·ká·/Oneida Nation – People of the Standing Stone. She is an ukwehu·wé/Indigenous midwife, who graduated from Tsi Non:we Ionnakeratstha Ona:grahsta/The Place They Will Be Born, located on the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory in 2007.
She is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) with a focused interest in supporting all Indigenous peoples. Stephanie is Past President of the International Lactation Consultants Association (ILCA). She also has advocated for this platform through her roles on the National Council of Indigenous Midwives (NCIM), the Baby-Friendly Initiative (BFI) Strategy of Ontario, the Expert Panel of the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario (RNAO). She is an Instructor at McMaster and York Universities respectively.
Website: http://stephgeorgeibclc.com
In preparation for the Global Congress on the Implementation of the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes, SafelyFed Canada prepared a survey intended for parents and healthcare providers about how marketing of products such as infant formula, commercial baby foods and feeding bottles impacts their decision-making.
With 67 parent/caregiver responses and 194 healthcare provider responses, concerns about affordability, lack of support, information gaps and confusing labelling and claims underscored the importance of addressing breastmilk substitute regulation alongside major investments in healthcare provider training and parent education to improve infant feeding pratices.
Read the full report.
Do you have a story to share? Submit it here.
SafelyFed Canada will be joining a coalition of Canadian non-governmental organizations to the WHO Congress on the Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes in Geneva from June 19 to 22, 2023.
We would like to bring the broadest view of Canadian parents, consumers and professionals to this meeting which will focus on:
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Increasing knowledge and skills of national actors on strategies to end the unethical marketing of breast-milk substitutes, bottles, and teats
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Developing national roadmaps/work plans to strengthen legislation, monitoring and enforcement of the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes
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Building regional networks to share information and support of national action on the Code