§ Mr. Dorrellasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will now state what action the Government will take to implement the aim and principles of the World Health Organisation's code of marketing of breast milk substitutes in the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. John PattenA code of practice for the marketing of infant formulae in the United Kingdom and a complementary health circular for the guidance of health professionals will come into effect on 2 August 1983. The expressed aim of this code of practice, prepared by the Food Manufacturers Federation in consultation with the United Kingdom Health Departments and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food is to contribute to the provision of safe and adequate nutrition for infants by the protection and promotion of breast-feeding, and by ensuring the proper use of infant formulae, when this is necessary, on the basis of adequate information and through appropriate marketing.
The health circular stresses that it is the Government's policy to promote breast-feeding and advises health workers about the action they should take to do so. The circular also commends the Government publication "Present Day Practice in Infant Feeding 1980" and is accompanied by copies of the publication for key health bodies in the expectation that they will ensure the publication's wider distribution among relevant health service personnel.
The provision of the WHO international code of marketing of breast-milk substitutes, as recommended in the preamble to the WHO code, have been used as the basis for the FMF code of practice and the health circular so as to implement the aim and principles of the WHO code in a way appropriate to national circumstances in the United Kingdom. I understand that the Government's policy on implementing the code is in line with the policies being pursued within their own countries by other member states of the European Community.
A monitoring committee, consisting of eight members to be nominated by the Government from among health professionals and the consumer interests and four members nominated by the Food Manufacturers Federation, is being established to monitor compliance with the FMF code of practice. In addition, the committee will have an independent chairman nominated by the Government.