Formula baby-food producers lure the physicians with attractive packages to prescribe their brands for newborns, infants and children.
The companies also spend a huge amount of money on advertisements in mass media to discourage journalists from making objective news on their maneuverings, a study has found.
It also noted that the formula baby-food producing companies have currently become a major challenge to an increase in breastfeeding rate in the country. Despite violation of the 'Breast Milk Substitutes (BMS) Act 2013' by these companies in different forms, it is increasingly becoming difficult to bring them to book.
Rather general people, even mothers and children's families, lured by the glamorous ads and powerful marketing system, are buying the commercially-produced baby-foods, the study added.
The observations were made at the launching of a research report titled 'Role of stakeholders in promoting breastfeeding in the light of the Breast Milk Substitutes (BMS) Law 2013 in rural areas of Bangladesh'.
The BRAC Advocacy for Social Change organised the event Thursday at BRAC Centre in the city aiming to launch the research report, carried out by the BRAC Research and Evaluation Division.
The research was published in April, 2014. A survey was carried out in total six upazilas-three upazilas of Jessore, namely Sharsha, Abhaynagar and Jessore Sadar, and three upazilas of Sylhet-namely Balaganj, Fenchuganj and Bianibazar.
Additional director general of Health Professor Dr Abdul Hannan was present as the chief guest while Institute of Public Health and Nutrition (IPHN) deputy director Dr Tapan Kumar Biswas as special guest.
BRAC Health, Nutrition Population Programme director Dr Kaosar Afsana made the welcome speech while BRAC RED staff researcher Fahmida Akter presented the keynote paper.
According to the research findings, although the physicians, staff from the health administration and members of the law enforcing agencies are generally informed about the law, detailed knowledge on it is lacking.
The study further revealed that the formula companies devise ways and means so that the physicians can prescribe their brands under anonymity and mislead mothers and children's families also.
The research also found that the perfect time for intervention for the formula companies are just after the delivery when mothers' breasts take some time to produce milk for the newborns and when the mothers start joining their office after maternity leave.
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