Win for baby milk manufacturers

A charity campaigning for stricter rules on baby milk labelling has expressed their "disappointment" of the recent ruling of a judge.

In what is being seen as a win for baby milk manufacturers, Mr Justice Mitting ruled that companies had two years to bring labels into line with the 2007 version of the UK Infant Formula and Follow-on Formula Regulations.

Representing the Baby Feeding Law Group and the Breastfeeding Manifesto Coalition, Baby Milk Action were present at the two-day High Court hearing, at which Patti Rundall OBE, policy director of Baby Milk Action, expressed in an oral submission the urgent health consequences of such a decision.

"This is a very disappointing judgment which turned on the meaning of the one word 'product'," she said.

"The legal action itself shows the irresponsibility of the manufacturing companies in seeking judicial review purely for their own commercial purposes, putting those way ahead of the need for new labelling to protect the health of babies. Their actions could have serious social, health and environmental consequences."

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