Rahila Maishanu, the BMS Desk Officer at the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) Kaduna Office, recently revealed during a one-day training of health workers on the BMS Code and its compliance in Zaria that the promotion and sales of breastmilk substitutes (BMS) and related products are now prohibited in health facilities.
The training was jointly organized by the state Primary Health Care Board, NAFDAC, and supported by a global nutrition initiative, Alive & Thrive, under its Maternal, Infant, and Young Child Nutrition program.
Maishanu elaborated that the BMS Code and National Regulation have set guidelines that forbid the promotion and sales of BMS and related products, including the distribution of free or low-cost supplies in health facilities. She went on to explain that NAFDAC, by the NAFDAC Act Cap N1 LFN 2004, was empowered by law to implement, monitor, and enforce the provisions of the International Code of Marketing BMS.
Maishanu emphasized that the petition is by a national for Marketing Breastmilk Substitutes, which was adopted by the World Health Assembly in 1981 to promote, protect, and support optimal breastfeeding practices. She also highlighted that breastfeeding is a “high impact, low technology, cost-effective” intervention for child survival and optimal cognitive development and sustainability.
Furthermore, Maishanu emphasized that the BMS Code serves as a weapon to safeguard breastfeeding from the negative impact of aggressive advertising and marketing techniques employed by infant food manufacturers on breastfeeding practices. In essence, the prohibition of the promotion and sales of BMS and related products in health facilities is a step in the right direction toward ensuring optimal breastfeeding practices.
