Latest news with #JessBrownFuller
The Independent
a day ago
- Business
- The Independent
Baby formula companies accused of ‘exploiting a legal loophole'
Liberal Democrat MP Jess Brown-Fuller is leading renewed calls for the government to address "exploitative" marketing by baby formula companies. Companies are accused of inflating prices and making unfounded health claims, misleading parents into believing more expensive formula is nutritionally superior, despite all products being equivalent. Firms have been accused of "exploiting a legal loophole" by advertising follow-on milk with packaging similar to unadvertisable newborn formula, and offering discounted products to hospitals, creating a false impression of NHS endorsement. A Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) study found widespread issues, including misleading marketing and a 25 per cent price increase in formula over two years, burdening low-income families. The CMA has proposed 11 recommendations to strengthen rules and inform parents, which the Department of Health and Social Care is currently considering.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Government urged to crack down on ‘exploitative' baby formula marketing
The Government has been urged to crack down on the 'exploitative' marketing practices of baby formula companies. Liberal Democrat MP Jess Brown-Fuller, chairwoman of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Infant Feeding, has said new parents face inflated prices and unfounded health claims on packaging. Firms are also 'exploiting a legal loophole' to circumvent rules about the advertising of formula, she added, and offering their product to hospitals at discounted rates, giving parents the impression of an NHS recommendation. The Chichester MP is raising concerns after the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) published a formula market study report earlier this year highlighting a number of issues, including misleading marketing, information gaps and cost impacts on low-income families. Formula manufacturers increased prices by an average of 25% in the two years up to November 2023 and they remain at near record highs. Parents often believe that a higher price tag means a more nutritious formula for their baby, despite regulations requiring all formula on the market to be nutritionally equivalent. Ms Brown-Fuller told the PA news agency: 'There are parents who believe that by buying the more expensive formula, they are supporting their child's feeding or growth or potential more when actually all of those milks are nutritionally equivalent.' There are even reports of parents buying more expensive formula but using fewer scoops per bottle to try and make it last longer, which Ms Brown-Fuller branded 'dangerous'. These parents are doing what they think is best for their children, she said, when in reality there is 'no difference' between the £14 tub and £7 tub of formula. The Liberal Democrat noted that companies will use their packaging to 'imply a nutritional superiority', with phrases like 'nutritionally complete' or 'supports a healthy immune system'. She asked: 'Where is the evidence that suggests that that formula is in any way a boost to an infant's immune system above any others?' Meanwhile, other formulas will write 'with added…' and name ingredients like Omega 3, certain vitamins, or iron. Ms Brown-Fuller said: 'It has to have a certain number of nutrients in it anyway. And anything that is additional potentially shouldn't be in there because they are working around a very strict compliance code.' She explained: 'They wouldn't be able to make these bold claims if they were a medication but, because it's a food, it's a source of nutrition, they're not held to the same standards.' Meanwhile, it is illegal to advertise newborn formula in the UK but firms are allowed to advertise follow-on milk for babies that are six months and older. This is because World Health Organisation (WHO) guidance is that breast milk should be the main source of nutrition for all infants until they are six months old, and a lack of advertising regulation is linked to lower breastfeeding rates. Ms Brown-Fuller said: 'There is a direct correlation between countries that have no regulation around formula marketing and drastic reductions in breastfeeding. 'So that is why the Government did introduce regulation around advertising of formula milk because the numbers of breastfeeding mothers was dramatically reducing.' The UK scores just 48 out of 100 overall on a range of infant-feeding metrics, according to the World Breastfeeding Trends Initiative. However, to get around these regulations, formula companies advertise for their follow-on milk and 'make all their packaging look exactly the same to anybody that was just perusing the shelves'. The Chichester MP said: 'They're exploiting a legal loophole, because it is a legal loophole, but they've totally blurred the lines through similar branding.' Another form of 'exploitative' marketing, she argued, is that formula companies will sell their formula into healthcare professional environments like maternity units or neonatal units for a hugely reduced price. Purchase habits show strong brand loyalty when it comes to formula, with parents rarely switching brands once they have introduced a particular one to their baby. It is also argued that brand presence in a healthcare setting gives the 'fake impression of an NHS endorsement'. Ms Brown-Fuller told PA: 'They know that if they get the parents to use that in a hospital setting, the likelihood is that that is the formula they will then use when they go home.' The CMA has put forward 11 recommendations to address these issues, aiming to strengthen labelling and advertising rules, better inform parents to make choices in retail environments and to eliminate brand influence in healthcare settings with standardised packaging. A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: 'As part of our Plan for Change, we're determined to ensure every child has the best start to life. 'There are many benefits of breastfeeding but for those mothers that cannot or choose not to breastfeed, it is vital parents can access infant formula that is affordable and high quality. Families should not be paying over the odds to feed their babies. 'We are working closely with the devolved governments to carefully consider the CMA's recommendations and will respond fully in due course.'
The Independent
2 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Government urged to crack down on ‘exploitative' baby formula marketing
The Government has been urged to crack down on the 'exploitative' marketing practices of baby formula companies. Liberal Democrat MP Jess Brown-Fuller, chairwoman of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Infant Feeding, has said new parents face inflated prices and unfounded health claims on packaging. Firms are also 'exploiting a legal loophole' to circumvent rules about the advertising of formula, she added, and offering their product to hospitals at discounted rates, giving parents the impression of an NHS recommendation. The Chichester MP is raising concerns after the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) published a formula market study report earlier this year highlighting a number of issues, including misleading marketing, information gaps and cost impacts on low-income families. Formula manufacturers increased prices by an average of 25% in the two years up to November 2023 and they remain at near record highs. Parents often believe that a higher price tag means a more nutritious formula for their baby, despite regulations requiring all formula on the market to be nutritionally equivalent. Ms Brown-Fuller told the PA news agency: 'There are parents who believe that by buying the more expensive formula, they are supporting their child's feeding or growth or potential more when actually all of those milks are nutritionally equivalent.' There are even reports of parents buying more expensive formula but using fewer scoops per bottle to try and make it last longer, which Ms Brown-Fuller branded 'dangerous'. These parents are doing what they think is best for their children, she said, when in reality there is 'no difference' between the £14 tub and £7 tub of formula. The Liberal Democrat noted that companies will use their packaging to 'imply a nutritional superiority', with phrases like 'nutritionally complete' or 'supports a healthy immune system'. She asked: 'Where is the evidence that suggests that that formula is in any way a boost to an infant's immune system above any others?' Meanwhile, other formulas will write 'with added…' and name ingredients like Omega 3, certain vitamins, or iron. Ms Brown-Fuller said: 'It has to have a certain number of nutrients in it anyway. And anything that is additional potentially shouldn't be in there because they are working around a very strict compliance code.' She explained: 'They wouldn't be able to make these bold claims if they were a medication but, because it's a food, it's a source of nutrition, they're not held to the same standards.' Meanwhile, it is illegal to advertise newborn formula in the UK but firms are allowed to advertise follow-on milk for babies that are six months and older. This is because World Health Organisation (WHO) guidance is that breast milk should be the main source of nutrition for all infants until they are six months old, and a lack of advertising regulation is linked to lower breastfeeding rates. Ms Brown-Fuller said: 'There is a direct correlation between countries that have no regulation around formula marketing and drastic reductions in breastfeeding. 'So that is why the Government did introduce regulation around advertising of formula milk because the numbers of breastfeeding mothers was dramatically reducing.' The UK scores just 48 out of 100 overall on a range of infant-feeding metrics, according to the World Breastfeeding Trends Initiative. However, to get around these regulations, formula companies advertise for their follow-on milk and 'make all their packaging look exactly the same to anybody that was just perusing the shelves'. The Chichester MP said: 'They're exploiting a legal loophole, because it is a legal loophole, but they've totally blurred the lines through similar branding.' Another form of 'exploitative' marketing, she argued, is that formula companies will sell their formula into healthcare professional environments like maternity units or neonatal units for a hugely reduced price. Purchase habits show strong brand loyalty when it comes to formula, with parents rarely switching brands once they have introduced a particular one to their baby. It is also argued that brand presence in a healthcare setting gives the 'fake impression of an NHS endorsement'. Ms Brown-Fuller told PA: 'They know that if they get the parents to use that in a hospital setting, the likelihood is that that is the formula they will then use when they go home.' The CMA has put forward 11 recommendations to address these issues, aiming to strengthen labelling and advertising rules, better inform parents to make choices in retail environments and to eliminate brand influence in healthcare settings with standardised packaging. A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: 'As part of our Plan for Change, we're determined to ensure every child has the best start to life. 'There are many benefits of breastfeeding but for those mothers that cannot or choose not to breastfeed, it is vital parents can access infant formula that is affordable and high quality. Families should not be paying over the odds to feed their babies. 'We are working closely with the devolved governments to carefully consider the CMA's recommendations and will respond fully in due course.'
The Independent
2 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Parents struggling with inflated baby formula prices and misleading health claims
The government is facing renewed calls to tackle the "exploitative" marketing tactics employed by baby formula companies, accused of inflating prices and making unfounded health claims. Jess Brown-Fuller, a Liberal Democrat MP and chairwoman of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Infant Feeding, highlighted how new parents are particularly vulnerable. She asserted that firms are "exploiting a legal loophole" to circumvent advertising regulations, further alleging that discounted product offerings to hospitals create the misleading impression of an NHS endorsement. The report noted formula manufacturers hiked prices by an average of 25 per cent in the two years leading up to November 2023, with costs remaining at near-record levels. This occurs despite the common parental misconception that a higher price tag equates to a more nutritious product, when regulations mandate all formula on the market must be nutritionally equivalent. Ms Brown-Fuller told the PA news agency: 'There are parents who believe that by buying the more expensive formula, they are supporting their child's feeding or growth or potential more when actually all of those milks are nutritionally equivalent.' There are even reports of parents buying more expensive formula but using fewer scoops per bottle to try and make it last longer, which Ms Brown-Fuller branded 'dangerous'. These parents are doing what they think is best for their children, she said, when in reality there is 'no difference' between the £14 tub and £7 tub of formula. The Liberal Democrat noted that companies will use their packaging to 'imply a nutritional superiority', with phrases like 'nutritionally complete' or 'supports a healthy immune system'. She asked: 'Where is the evidence that suggests that that formula is in any way a boost to an infant's immune system above any others?' Meanwhile, other formulas will write 'with added…' and name ingredients like Omega 3, certain vitamins, or iron. Ms Brown-Fuller said: 'It has to have a certain number of nutrients in it anyway. And anything that is additional potentially shouldn't be in there because they are working around a very strict compliance code.' She explained: 'They wouldn't be able to make these bold claims if they were a medication but, because it's a food, it's a source of nutrition, they're not held to the same standards.' Meanwhile, it is illegal to advertise newborn formula in the UK but firms are allowed to advertise follow-on milk for babies that are six months and older. This is because World Health Organisation (WHO) guidance is that breast milk should be the main source of nutrition for all infants until they are six months old, and a lack of advertising regulation is linked to lower breastfeeding rates. Ms Brown-Fuller said: 'There is a direct correlation between countries that have no regulation around formula marketing and drastic reductions in breastfeeding. 'So that is why the Government did introduce regulation around advertising of formula milk because the numbers of breastfeeding mothers was dramatically reducing.' The UK scores just 48 out of 100 overall on a range of infant-feeding metrics, according to the World Breastfeeding Trends Initiative. However, to get around these regulations, formula companies advertise for their follow-on milk and 'make all their packaging look exactly the same to anybody that was just perusing the shelves'. The Chichester MP said: 'They're exploiting a legal loophole, because it is a legal loophole, but they've totally blurred the lines through similar branding.' Another form of 'exploitative' marketing, she argued, is that formula companies will sell their formula into healthcare professional environments like maternity units or neonatal units for a hugely reduced price. Purchase habits show strong brand loyalty when it comes to formula, with parents rarely switching brands once they have introduced a particular one to their baby. It is also argued that brand presence in a healthcare setting gives the 'fake impression of an NHS endorsement'. Ms Brown-Fuller told PA: 'They know that if they get the parents to use that in a hospital setting, the likelihood is that that is the formula they will then use when they go home.' The CMA has put forward 11 recommendations to address these issues, aiming to strengthen labelling and advertising rules, better inform parents to make choices in retail environments and to eliminate brand influence in healthcare settings with standardised packaging. Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: 'As part of our Plan for Change, we're determined to ensure every child has the best start to life. 'There are many benefits of breastfeeding but for those mothers that cannot or choose not to breastfeed, it is vital parents can access infant formula that is affordable and high quality. Families should not be paying over the odds to feed their babies. 'We are working closely with the devolved governments to carefully consider the CMA's recommendations and will respond fully in due course.'
The Guardian
20-07-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Maternal deaths rising in UK despite fewer births, official figures show
Growing numbers of women in the UK are dying during pregnancy or soon after giving birth, even though fewer babies are being born, official figures show. While 209 maternal deaths occurred in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland during 2015-17, that rose to 254 during 2021-23, data compiled by the House of Commons library shows. The upward trend underlines a recent acknowledgment by the heath secretary, Wes Streeting, that poor care in NHS maternity services is so widespread that it has led to 'the normalisation of deaths of women and babies'. A maternal death is defined as one that occurs while the woman is pregnant or within 42 days of the pregnancy ending, either in the delivery of a child or other event, such as a stillbirth. 'It is appalling that maternity deaths are rising even after the years of concern over the state of services that has led to so many scandals with deadly consequences,' said Jess Brown-Fuller, the Liberal Democrat health spokesperson who commissioned the library's research. 'Families are being torn apart and unimaginable pain is being caused after years of shocking neglect so that now, even with the number of births declining, the number of deaths are rising,' added Brown-Fuller, who speaks for the party on primary care and hospitals. The rate at which such deaths occur is also rising. The 209 deaths during 2015-17 meant that there were 9.16 deathsfor every 100,000 women giving birth. However, the 254 deaths during 2021-23 meant the death rate had by then climbed to 12.67 for every 100,000 births. However, the 2021-23 figures were slightly down on the 275 deaths and 13.56 deaths per 100,000 maternities seen in 2020-22. The two were the highest figures in the eight years the library analysed. Its staff collated the figures from reports by MBRRACE-UK, a longstanding official audit of maternity care quality and outcomes, which is led by the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit at Oxford University and involves senior doctors and the Royal College of Nursing. Each of the seven reports they analysed covered a three-year period, with the figures for 2021-23 the most recent available. Streeting last month announced the setting up of an England-wide 'rapid national investigation' into what he called the 'crisis' in maternity and neonatal services. It would 'provide truth and accountability for impacted families and drive urgent improvements to care and safety, addressing systemic problems dating back over 15 years'. The investigation will look into maternity care in up to 10 areas that have prompted particular concern, such as in Leeds – where a scandal is unfolding – and Sussex. It will be undertaken in conjunction with families who have suffered as a result of substandard care of mothers and newborns. Streeting is also chairing a newly created taskforce to ensure that progress is made in tackling what he described in his speech last month as 'the biggest patient safety challenge facing our country'. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Women aged 35 or over are three times more likely to die than those aged 20-24 and black women are at more than double the risk of white women of dying in pregnancy or soon after, MBRRACE-UK has found. In recent years there have been official inquiries into maternity scandals at the Morecambe Bay, East Kent and Shrewsbury and Telford NHS trusts, and another is continuing into one in Nottingham. In addition, ministers and the NHS have published major strategies in 2016 and 2023 to overhaul care. 'We cannot allow a situation to persist where people are needlessly dying and their loved ones are left to pick up the pieces,' added Brown-Fuller. She blamed the Conservatives for letting maternity services 'decay' while they were in power and challenged Streeting to take immediate 'concrete steps', including ensuring that recommendations from previous reports were acted on. The Commons library research also found that progress on implementation in 11 of the 31 areas in which NHS England promised action in its three-year delivery plan for maternity and neonatal services in 2023 has gone backwards. They include staff responding to the woman's concerns during her labour and birth, women receiving kind and compassionate treatment during labour and birth and receiving adequate explanations during their postnatal care. The Department of Health and Social Care did not comment on the rise in maternal deaths. It instead highlighted Streeting's decision to launch the investigation and promise to overhaul the quality and safety of care provided.
