Ban the Bags

What are we banning? 

For decades, infant formula companies have distributed bags containing formula samples, coupons, and other advertising to maternity patients. These “free gifts” are used to boost sales of formula at the expense of breastfeeding. The key to the success of this marketing strategy is the distribution by healthcare providers, which implicitly endorses the formula included in the bags.
The North Carolina Breastfeeding Coalition are taking action to eliminate marketing of infant formula from the maternity facilities of our state.

 

Is this really a major issue?   

All major medical organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American College of Nurse Midwives (ACNM), the American College of Obstretrics and Gynecology (ACOG), the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), the American Dietetics Association (ADA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the World Health Organization (WHO) recommend that babies get no other food or drink besides human milk for the first six months of life, and continue to breastfeed for at least one year. Research demonstrates that such recommendations are undermined when hospitals distribute formula company discharge bags to new mothers. Thus, these organizations have policies directly opposing the distribution of formula samples, commercial discharge bags, and any other type of formula advertising.

 

What are the numbers?  

Sixty-six percent (66%) of North Carolina mother-baby pairs initiate breastfeeding, but a mere 9.5% are exclusively breastfeeding at six months, according to 2007 data from the CDC. Part of this decline likely results from formula marketing in healthcare facilities. Multiple studies show that when breastfeeding mothers are given commercial companies’ marketing bags, they are more likely to start using formula – even if the formula samples have been removed from the bags.  The practice also encourages formula-feeding mothers to maintain loyalty to the brand that was “recommended” by the maternity facility, even if it results in financial hardship, as these brand cost 35% more than store brands (~ an extra $700 annually).

 

What is NCBC Doing?                       

North Carolina Breastfeeding Coalition has adapted a “Ban the Bags Toolkit” especially for use in our state.  Elected volunteer leaders coordinate activists’ efforts in each region to ensure time-effective, impactful interactions with each facility.  Download your toolkit, check in with your regional leader, and Ban the Bags at your local hospital today!

 

When hospitals prove that they have stopped distributing formula companies’ discharge bags, North Carolina Breastfeeding Coalition is proud to present them with a Golden Bow Award. Golden Bow Award Winners hang attractive awards in their facilities, and are acknowledged on the NCBC website.

Download the Ban The Bags Toolkit (registered members only)

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North Carolina Breastfeeding Coalition Ban the Bags Leadership Contact Information

Vicki J Carlson,RN,IBCLC,RLC
Chair, North Carolina Breastfeeding Coalition
bfairy1 "AT" live.com

Emily Taylor, MPH, CD(DONA)
Liaison, The Carolina Global Breastfeeding Institute, UNC-Chapel Hill
Senior Program Director
emilytaylor "AT" unc.edu
 

Georganna Cogburn, MS, RD, LDN, IBCLC
Leader Region I
Georganna.cogburn "AT" buncombecounty.org


Dawn Deinert, RN, IBCLC
Co-Leader Region III
ddeinert "AT" northeastmedical.org

Phyllis Kombol, RNC, MSN, IBCLC
Co-Leader Region III
pkombol "AT" ctc.net

Susan O’Hara Brill, IBCLC
Co-Leader Region IV
soharabrill "AT" bellsouth.net

Vicki Carlson, RN, IBCLC, RLC
Leader Region V
bfairy1 "AT" live.com

Jill Hartzog, RN, BSN, IBCLC
Leader Region VI
jillhartzog "AT" hotmail.com