Formula milk inclusion in Indonesia’s free meals programme draws opposition
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Paediatricians have urged the government to reassess the inclusion of formula milk in the programme.
PHOTO: AFP
JAKARTA - Paediatricians in Indonesia have urged the government to reassess the inclusion of formula milk for infants in the free nutritious meal programme, warning that the policy risks discouraging breastfeeding and contradicting existing health regulations limiting its use because of medical reasons.
In a letter addressed to the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) dated May 20, the Indonesian Pediatric Society’s (IDAI) Breastfeeding Task Force warned that unrestricted formula milk distribution could keep mothers from breastfeeding, which has lasting consequences on infant health.
