Doc. 8877
16 October 2000

Breast-feeding

Written question No. 388 to the Committee of Ministers

by Mrs Squarcialupi and others

      Considering that in many countries of the Council of Europe there is now a widespread practice whereby medical staff advise new mothers, with different arguments, to use substitutes for mother’s milk and even though these are para–pharmaceutical products that are presented to consumers as health products, particularly in those countries where they are sold exclusively at the chemist’s;

      Considering that the cost of powdered milk varies considerably from country to country, also because the manufacturers recuperate the considerable sums of money spent on their massive advertising campaigns by adding them to the selling price,

      The undersigned ask the Committee of Ministers

      Whether any concrete action involving doctors, paramedics and new mothers is being undertaken in the hospitals of the Council of Europe member states in order to encourage breast-feeding, as this is unquestionably, from the viewpoint of nutrition and health, the best as well as the cheapest method to feed newborn babies;

      Whether it would be possible, with the participation of consumer protection associations, to verify the prices and conditions of sale of the above-said products, as distortions and lack of transparency are often recorded in this field.

Signed (see overleaf)

Signed : ¹

Squarcialupi, Italy, SOC

About, France, LDR

Björnemalm, Sweden, SOC

Calner, Sweden, SOC

Davis, United Kingdom, SOC

Durrieu, France, SOC

Gross, Switzerland, SOC

Herczog, Hungary, SOC

Jones, United Kingdom, SOC

Le Grand, France, EDG

Magnusson, Sweden, SOC

Pozza Tasca, Italy, LDR

Schreiner, France, EDG

Vermot-Mangold, Switzerland, SOC

¹        SOC: Socialist Group

      EPP/CD: Group of the European People’s Party

      EDG: European Democratic Group

      LDR : Liberal, Democratic and Reformers’ Group

      UEL: Group of the Unified European Left

      NR: not registered in a group