The Michigan Daily-Wednesday, May 20, 1981-Page 11
BABY FORMULA CAUSES INT ERNATIONAL CONTROVERSY
U.S. alone on 'formula' issue
GENEVA, Switzerland (AP)-A dispute over the
marketing of baby formula has set the United States
virtually alone against the rest of the World Health
Organization's members and consumer groups that
say misuse of the food in underdeveloped countries is
responsible for millions of infant deaths.
President Reagan's administration has come out
strongly against a proposed WHO marketing code of
conduct, saying such guidelines would make the
United Nations agency a kind of "international
Federal Trade Commission."
PROPONENTS OF the code say breast milk is far
safer than manufactured foods in countries where the
formula is often mixed with polluted water; where
bottles are inadequately cleaned and exposed to con-
tamination, and where there is no refrigeration.
The controversy has escalated into a fierce cam-
paign to sway international public opinion as 150
member-nations of the WHO's Annual Assembly near
a vote on the code Wednesday or Thursday.
As proposed the guidelines would:
" Ban direct advertising of breast milk substitutes.
" Prohibit distribution of free product samples.
" Require wording on product labels that
acknowledges the superiority of breast-feeding and
warns about health hazards posed by improper.
preparation.
" Keep companies from paying staff commissions
and bonuses on sales of infant formula.
IT HAS BEEN clear for some time that the code
will be adopted, overwhelmingly-perhaps with only
the United States in opposition.
"It is likely that at least one million
children in the developing world die each
yearfrom inadequate artificial feeding. "
-UNICEF
UNICEF, which worked with WHO in preparing-the
code, has said "it is likely that at least one million
children in the developing world die, each year from
inadequate artificial feeding."
On the other side, the Swiss Pediatric Society said
"the WHO code would create an additional.
nutritional taboo by discrimination against milk
powder in the Third World which will result in coun-
tless childdeaths."
THE INDUSTRY often has said it would not oppose
a marketing code adaptable to conditions and
customs of individual countries. "This code,
however, imposes a set of regulations . . . for the
whole world," said E. Steven Bauer, a vice president
of Wyeth Laboratories, which is owned by American
Home Products Corp.
U.S. deputy press secretary Larry Speakes, said in
Washington that if the code "were applied to our own
country, it would violate anti-trust laws."
Two officials of the Agency for International
Development said in Washington Monday they would
resign to protest the administration's decision to vote
against the code.
Dr. Stephen Joseph and Dr. Eugene Babb spoke at
a news conference where they and prominent
physicians urged the White House to reverse its
stand.
"This is not° an issue of free enterprise versus
governmental regulation," Babb said. "A 'no' vote on
this code will signal the world that the United States
does not care if our firms behave irresponsibly over-
seas.
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