NAFDAC Demands Adherence To Breast Milk Substitute Marketing Code

National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), has called for compliance with the Marketing Breast Milk Substitutes (BMS) Code because its failure affects infant nutrition.

The BMS desk officer in Kaduna, Rahila Maishanu, gave the charge at the weekend at a media and stakeholders’ roundtable to promote issues on Maternal Infant and Young Child Nutrition (MIYCN) in Kaduna.

She called on Nigerians, especially residents of the state to ensure malnutrition is checked in Kaduna.

Maishanu said the major reason for implementing BMS code in the country is to promote optimal infant and young child feeding for child survival, growth and development.

She, therefore, urged the media to reject advertisements promoting breast milk substitute products.

Meanwhile, the zonal coordinator, Alive & Thrive, Sarah Kwasu, has advised pregnant women on the use of Multiple Micronutrients Supplement (MMS) in place of Iron and Folic Acid (IFA).

She said MMS contains 15 essential vitamins and minerals that women need to help ensure a healthy pregnancy, and a healthy baby.

“The risk of infant mortality (from 0-6 months of age) decreases by 29 percent when a mother with anemia takes MMS during pregnancy, reduce the risk of a child being stillborn by 26 percent among anemic, pregnant women.

“Taking MMS by pregnant women reduces the risk of a child being born underweight to anemic pregnant women by 19 percent, reduce the risk of a child being born pre-term by eight percent. Among pregnant, underweight women, the risk decreases by 18 percent,” she said.