NAFDAC advocates exclusive breastfeeding, urges mothers to use bms only when necessary

AKOR SYLVESTER, Abuja

The National Agency for food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has urged mothers to boost the health of their newly born babies by always practicing exclusive breastfeeding adopted by the world health bodies.

The agency noted that breastfeeding has been certified to give the baby the best nutritional start in life and also provides vital immunological benefits.

Speaking at the Commemoration of the 40th Anniversary of the International Code of Marketing of the Breast milk Substitutes (BMS) in Nigeria, in Abuja yesterday, the Director General of NAFDAC, Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye, said no other food offers total nourishment to the body for the first six months of life, maintaining that breast-milk substites could only be used when they are necessary.

Represented at the occasion by Gbenga Fajemirokun of the agency, the Director General enjoined mothers to always practice exclusive breastfeeding till the child is aged 24 months or beyond as recommended globally.

She said the agency has the mandate to implement, monitor and enforce the approved code of marketing BMS in the country, emphasising that “the code does not say that Breast-milk substites are not legitimate products: however, they should only be used (properly) when they are necessary”.

The NAFDAC boss further maintained that BMS must not be aggressively marketed in order to promote and protect breastfeeding for the ultimate benefits of the infant.

It will be recalled that the International code of marketing BMS was developed as a global public health strategy with the aim of contributing to the provision of safe and adequate nutrition for infants by protecting and promoting breastfeeding and by ensuring the proper use of BMS only when they are necessary.

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