Abstract:
Despite clear evidence of the benefits of exclusive and continued breastfeeding for children, women and society, far too few children in
South Africa (SA) are breastfed. One of the major impediments to improving this situation is the continued and aggressive marketing of
breastmilk substitutes (BMSs) and infiltration of the BMS industry into contexts with exposure to health professionals. In this article we, as
academics, practitioners and child health advocates, describe contraventions of the regulations that protect breastfeeding in SA and argue
that bold, proactive leadership to eliminate conflict of interest in respect of the BMS industry is urgently required, together with far greater
investments in proven interventions to promote and support breastfeeding.
