THE POLITICS OF BREASTFEEDING
By Dato’ (Dr.) Anwar Fazal,
Chairperson Emeritus, World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA).
Breastfeeding, the natural first food and way of feeding the baby has been undermined over the last century by substitute foods that neither provides the special medical and health benefits of breastfeeding and breast milk nor are they ecological or economical. Because the so called breast milk substitutes are a billion dollar industry, multinational commercial interests exploited ignorance, manipulated health systems and deployed “cash register” ethics to make money and more money. Their influence on Government agencies policies and extensive advertising has too often countered the noble efforts to protect, promote and support breastfeeding. What can we learn from the past? What do we need to do now? What is the future we want?