Australia may ban infant formula ads

Melbourne: Recently, the federal government released a consultation paper seeking input on whether it should introduce legislation to prevent or restrict infant formula marketing in Australia. The consultation is open for submissions until April 10.

Until February 2025, Australian formula brands were under a voluntary agreement not to advertise formula products for babies aged 0 to 12 months, in order to support and protect breastfeeding.

With recent data revealing lower-than-desired rates of breastfeeding in Australia, the government has chosen not to renew the voluntary arrangement and is exploring tougher measures.

These moves don’t explicitly promote breastfeeding. Rather, they aim to curtail marketing practices that position formula as an equivalent or preferable alternative.

Our analysis of online formula ads targeting parents in Australia reveals how companies prey on parents’ anxiety – and the problems with having a voluntary agreement.

Breastfeeding has extensive health benefits for both mother and child. These include protection against gastrointestinal and respiratory infections for newborns, reduced risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes later in life, and reduced risk of mothers developing ovarian and breast cancer.agencies