"This report provides updated information on the status of implementing the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes and subsequent relevant World Health Assembly resolutions ("the Code") in and by countries. It presents the legal status of the Code, including--where such information is available--to what extent Code provisions have been incorporated in national legal measures. The report also provides information on the efforts made by countries to monitor and enforce the Code through the establishment of formal mechanisms. Its findings and subsequent recommendations aim to improve the understanding of how countries are implementing the Code, what challenges they face in doing so, and where the focus must be on further efforts to assist them in more effective Code implementation."--Page 1.

This report provides updated information on the status of implementation of the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes (BMS) and subsequent relevant World Health Assembly (WHA) resolutions (collectively referred to as “the Code”) in countries. It presents the legal status of the Code, including the extent to which the provisions of the Code have been incorporated in national legal measures. The report examines further the processes countries use to monitor and enforce compliance with Code laws. The report also provides case-studies from a few countries on their legislative processes, highlighting examples of interference from manufacturers and distributors of breast-milk substitutes in efforts to weaken and delay Code implementation.

Digital technologies are increasingly used for marketing food products throughout the world. Although the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes specifies that there should be no advertising or other form of promotion of breast-milk substitutes to the general public, the Code does not directly address many of the specific strategies used in digital marketing. In November 2020, the World Health Assembly requested that WHO review current evidence and prepare a report describing how digital marketing strategies are being used for the promotion of breast-milk substitutes. This report examines in greater depth the scope, techniques and impact of digital marketing strategies for the promotion of breast-milk substitutes.

Digital environments are fast becoming the predominant source of exposure to promotion of breast-milk substitutes globally. Digital marketing amplifies the reach and power of advertising and other forms of promotion in digital environments, and exposure to digital marketing increases the purchase and use of breast-milk substitutes. In light of this evidence, the Seventy-fifth World Health Assembly requested that WHO develop guidance for Member States on regulatory measures aimed at restricting the digital marketing of breast-milk substitutes. This guidance applies to marketing of products within the scope of the Code as well as foods for infants and young children that are not breast-milk substitutes.