Baby-bottle advert ban defended

Press, 31 January 1984, Page 6

Baby-bottle advert ban defended

Parliamentary reporter Television New Zealand has defended its refusal to rerun baby-bottle advertisements, and has suggested the advertiser resolve the issue with the Health Department.

The advertiser, George Jackson and Company, of Auckland, is considering suing TVNZ and the Health Department to recover the costs of making the advertisements which TVNZ rejected.

The advertisements, which were first run last year on television, contravened a World Health Organisation code, which forbids advertising of breastmilk substitutes and products, such as feeding bottles and artificial teats.

The Minister of Health, Mr Malcolm, asked the Auckland company to withdraw the advertisements initially, but the company refused and they were run. TVNZ was subsequently informed of the W.H.O. code and refused to rerun the advertisements.

According to the Health Department, the W.H.O. code is not legally binding. However, it has been agreed

to by New* Zealand manufacturers of breast-milk substitutes and baby-bottles, and the department believes the code carries a “moral weight.” “Certainly there is no legislation supporting it," said the department’s Director of Public Health, Dr C. M. Collins. “It is a recommendation by W.H.O. and the Minister of Health, with the agreement of local manufacturers and producers to adopt the code. “We are keen to see it fully supported and local people are doing so and have agreed to do so. But in this case we are dealing with an imported case.” Dr Collins added that anyone could break the code, but he expected that there would be a big public backlash from people concerned about the use of breast-milk substitutes.

“It is more a question of moral response and honour,” he said.

He rejected a statement by the Auckland company that the code was inappropriate for New Zealand as it was a developed country. According to Dr Collins, the code is recommended by W.H.O. for adoption by all countries.

He said that there was a fear that, although there was a high rate of breastfeeding of babies in New

Zealand, advertising for substitutes or baby-bottles could be aimed at a particular section of society.

The code, moreover, rejected advertisements for baby-bottles even if they were used for other products, such as fruit juices. Dr Collins said that promotion of baby-bottles for whatever purpose was viewed by W.H.O. as a way of promoting breast-milk substitutes.

TVNZ’s sales operations manager, Mr W. B. Richards. said TVNZ had been asked to follow the code.

“Although there is no legally binding reason why we should not put the advertisements to air, we believe there is a good and sufficient reason to follow the W.H.O. code, even though it is voluntary. It is not unusual for voluntary codes to be adopted,” he said.

Mr Richards said TVNZ believed the problem should be resolved between the Health Department and the advertiser.

According to Dr Collins, local manufacturers have been given until the end of this year to comply fully with the code. He said local advertisements containing pictures of babies also breached the code, and these were expected to cease.