Baby milk manufacturer Wyeth (HK) has been accused of making exaggerated claims about the health benefits of its formula in advertisements.

 

The Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative Hong Kong Association, an organization of more than 100 health professionals who promote breast-feeding, lodged the complaint this month to Wyeth about its "Promil Gold" advertisement. The association also complained to TVB Jade channel, which showed the commercial.

 

According to the association, the advertisement suggests drinking the product will make babies smart and healthy, a claim it says conflicts with World Health Organization (WHO) findings.

 

The association has previously complained to several other brand-name milk formula manufacturers, including Snowbrand, Maeil, C&G Nutricia, and Mead Johnson, which it said also used images of healthy and clever babies to advertise their products.

 

Association vice-chairwoman Patricia Ip Lai-Sheung said the advertisement was one of a number by formula milk makers that could mislead mothers considering whether to breast- or bottle-feed their babies.

 

"In most of the advertisements, claims about extracts from breast milk added to the product, like DHA and carotene, are exaggerated regarding their benefits to brain and immune system development," she said.

 

"Babies are shown playing outdoors with rosy cheeks and answering questions with astonishing speed to make mothers associate formula milk with better infant development."

 

According to WHO studies, infants fed on formulated milk are more prone to health problems than those reared on breast milk.

 

Dr. Ip said the companies' claims were "misleading, and even dangerous".

 

She urged the government to incorporate the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes into the legal system like China, banning any advertising, discount sales or free-sampling of baby milk formulas.

 

Wyeth refused to comment on the allegations.

 

A Health Department spokeswoman refused to explain why the code did not have legal back-up in Hong Kong, but said that the department had adopted a policy in line with the spirit of the code.

 

But Dr. Ip said: "Hospitals are offering to feed new-born babies with the free formulated milk. It's like doing free advertising for the manufacturers."

 

A Hospital Authority spokeswoman said hospitals needed to provide some mothers with breast-milk substitutes for practical reasons. "Some mothers may not want to adopt breast-feeding because of health and working conditions," she said.

 

The Hospital Authority said it did not allow the distribution of free milk samples in its hospitals.