A Look Into Asia's Massively Lucrative Infant Formula Scams

Throughout Asia infant milk formula is incessantly pushed on young families without mention of negative side effects. This is not to say that infant formula does not have a valuable place at times rather this is the account of how large corporations are pushing their products for profit on an unsuspecting population. In this scenario we see yet again the process of emotive advertising while misrepresenting potential negative health benefits.

Indonesia is the largest consumer by volume. This is a reflection of both the changing demographics in Indonesia and the slick emotive marketing campaigns that fill Indonesian television advertising. I recently sat in an Indonesian warung watching a local soap opera. In one advertising break I counted 3 out of 5 adverts were for infant formula. This is very profitable for the few major players in the market.

Infant Milk Formula Positives

There are clearly some women who have physical reasons why they cannot breast feed and in these instances it may be appropriate to use formula.

It is also my understanding that in times of natural disasters breast feeding women may experience problems producing enough to feed effectively. I have memories of sending milk formula to disaster areas in Indonesia for precisely this reason. I suppose it is logical from an evolutionary perspective. A mother can loose one child yet live to produce another.

There are clearly times when infant milk formula is important and can play a vital role in a child's welfare!

Health Risks With Infant Milk Formula

There are acknowledged risks in using infant formula. Even in developed countries the acknowledged risks include increased incidences of gastroenteritis, pneumonia, as well as elevated risks of childhood obesity, type 1 and type 2 diabetes, leukaemia, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Mothers are also at risk by not breast feeding, risking incidence of premenopausal breast cancer, ovarian cancer, retained gestational weight gain, type 2 diabetes, and the metabolic syndrome. 1

Mothers and infants in developing countries face additional risks using infant formula. Families who do not have adequate sanitation can further risk their child's life by using unsterile water and bottles. In this case breast milk would surely be better. Furthermore even though the cost of these products are significantly lower than in the West they still represent a significant cost for a poor family. The desire to give their children the best start in life can be a crippling financial expense for families in developing countries.

Indonesia's high infant mortality rate in 2012 lead the Indonesian government to push for all babies to be breast fed for the first six months of their lives. Yet the impact of the campaign was disappointing as it is estimated that only 40% of infants under six months old are exclusively breast fed in Indonesia. 3

The Indonesian market is estimated to be worth a whopping $1.1 billion! 2

Selling Milk Formula To The Asian Market

The way that infant formula is sold to the Asian market is quite insidious. Like all people Asians love their families and their children. The family unit in Asia is extremely strong and as communities become more prosperous the first expenditure they often spend is to make the lives of their families more comfortable and healthy.

Infant formula sales campaigns in Asia are very slick and highly emotive. They always depict a caring mother and her young child and often feature a grandparent or two. There is always a hug and the implication that the child will grow up healthy and the mother will be proud. If you watch these advertisements its easy to see they are saying everything will be perfect and you will live a happy life, if only you feed your baby our formula.

Danone is a big culprit with this kind of advertising. Here is a Malaysian example of this kind of advertising that I found on Youtube:

Counterfeiting, Corruption and The Wider Impacts

There are numerous problems associated with infant formula in Asia. The large marketplace and big profits have given rise to a formula counterfeiting problem in China. Chinese counterfeiters have been caught mislabelling products with premium and misleading labels. Adult milk formula and dangerous adulterants have been found in tins of infant formula resulting in a crackdown by Chinese authorities.

A more insidious problem is that of corporations corrupting the system. The primary focus has been through the corrupt influencing of midwives and paediatric clinics. Although this is illegal and goes against WHO standards it is clear that this practice is widespread and mirrors the broader corruption of our medical industries. Midwives and clinics were given cash incentives to sell infant formula and although it is illegal young mothers were given free samples. Although there was a backlash it appears that all that has changed is that the corporations are now giving gifts rather than money. The people are meant to believe that these global corporations are behaving benevolently by donating these gifts.

As we see throughout the world this corruption runs right up the chain and includes the doctors and agencies!

All of this to push infant formula on young families without acknowledgement of the potential negative impacts seems like a conspiracy to lie for profit at the detriment of the children. In this huge industry there seems to be little or no:

• Discussion of the potential negative health effects from using infant formula
• Honesty about the corruption in the chains of distribution
• Consideration about the relevance of expensive milk formula for families with low incomes that lack sterile water

Sadly this seems like just another industry that cares only for profit and not for the welfare of the children it so emotionally depicts in it's advertising campaigns! If only this was a topic that was more widely discussed amongst families in Asia!

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Image sources 1, 2, 3,4, 5. Sources 1, 2, 3.

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