On 26 May 2025, the World Health Assembly (WHA) adopted at its 78th session a resolution on ‘Regulating the digital marketing of breast-milk substitutes’. ISDI and its members support efforts to improve the health and wellbeing of infants and young children. This support is enshrined in companies’ global marketing policies to ensure their breast-milk substitute products are marketed responsibly.

We welcome the recognition of the importance of national context and a reference to international obligations within the resolution text. Governments play a key role in protecting families and are best placed to decide the policies and regulations that are appropriate within their social and legislative framework. However, the resolution could have gone further in protecting infant and young child health by focusing on ‘inappropriate’ marketing and recognising that when breastfeeding is not possible, formula is the only safe and nutritionally adequate alternative during an infant’s first year of life.

Governments also have an obligation to protect consumer rights by allowing parents to have access to science-based nutrition and product information to ensure informed decision-making. We believe strongly that parents and health care providers are better able to make nutrition decisions for their children with more information, not less.

In light of the many different factors influencing infant feeding practices, ISDI continues to believe that a holistic, multi-stakeholder approach is required to create an all-inclusive, supportive ecosystem to improve nutritional outcomes for infants and young children, whether they are breastfed, mixed-fed or formula-fed. ISDI looks forward to working with the World Health Organization, national governments and other stakeholders to achieve the common goal of safeguarding the health and wellbeing of infants and young children worldwide.

About ISDI:  
ISDI is the leading international expert association on special dietary foods, including foods specifically designed for infants and young children. ISDI members are national and international associations that are active in this sector from more than 20 countries over 6 continents. Our members manufacture and market foods that are formulated, in accordance with applicable Codex Alimentarius standards, to meet the compositional criteria, quality requirement and nutritional needs of infants and young children.

Further Contact:  
Jean Christophe Kremer 
ISDI Secretary General  
M: +32 476 82 03 90  
E: secretariat@isdi.org