BANGKOK, 8 May 2012 – The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has warned powdered milk producers to change their marketing strategies as fewer mothers are now breast feeding their babies.
According to the UNICEF, breast feeding among East Asian, including Thai, mothers has dropped dramatically. It said only 5% of Thai mothers breast feed their children.
The organization explained that as the majority of today’s women have to work, milk manufacturers have come up with several marketing strategies to lure mothers to use their products for convenience; making most mothers stop feeding their babies naturally.
The UNICEF has urged the private sector in East Asian countries to allow mothers to take a long maternity leave. It has also told milk producers to adhere to the fact when doing marketing that powdered milk is just a supplementary food, not mother’s milk replacement.
