Ireland's complicated relationship with infant formula

Forty years after a WHO advertising code was introduced to limit how infant formula is marketed, Ireland produces 13% of the global supply. But in an era dominated by climate change, the environmental impacts of the formula industry are becoming a new focus. Ellie O’Byrne reports

Mon, 19 Jul, 2021 - 06:30

Ellie O’Byrne

Forty years ago, a public health crisis was looming. Breastfeeding rates around the world were plummeting.

Breastfeeding and formula: The numbers

€60bn: The annual global trade in infant formula

800,000: The number of babies who die each year globally who would survive if WHO breastfeeding recommendations were universally followed

20,000: Global maternal deaths that would not occur if WHO breastfeeding recommendations were universally followed

40%: Bbabies worldwide exclusively breastfed to six months

6%: Irish babies exclusively breastfed to six months

One: The number of donor milk banks on the island of Ireland. The Western Trust Milk Bank is located in Northern Ireland and supplies Republic of Ireland neonatal units.

€1.3bn: The value of Irish infant formula production exports in 2017 according to CSO; €526 million of this goes to China

€1.58m: HSE funding for lactation consultant posts announced in May.

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