(ABN): 58 637 390 295
Manufacturers in Australia of Infant Formula (MAIF)
The MAIF Agreement represents Australia's effort to implement the World Health Organization's (WHO) International Code of the Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes (the International Code).
Its purpose is to regulate the advertising of infant formula (0–12 months) to the general public and healthcare professionals. The MAIF Agreement is an ineffective means of monitoring and responding to violations of the MAIF Agreement and, more importantly, does not fulfill the aims of the International Code on which MAIF is loosely based.
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Thousands of members contribute weekly by submitting examples of International Code violations, and Social Engineering (SE) for members of BAA to collate and report on.
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A breach to the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes
and MAIF.
A Code violation is:
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ANY advertising of ANY kind, of infant formula, bottles, teats, dummies and complementary foods.
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You will see hundreds of violations in supermarkets, pharmacies, online catalogues, influencer social media pages, direct email offers, billboards, print catalogues.
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We are, now, also recording advertising of formula manufacturer, mums clubs as well as breastfeeding and nutrition apps. These are advertised to target mothers who are searching for support and information.
These products are simply clever and effective money earners.
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With your help we can present evidence to DoH and ACCC that the MAIF Agreement and the WHO Code are being violated.
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We will continue to ask for your help each week. Every report of a violation is recorded and makes a difference in our work. We need your help!
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REPORTING A VIOLATION
At Breastfeeding Advocacy Australia (BAA), we've been hard at work addressing concerns about the current clunky and difficult to use MAIF complaints process.
We recently wrote to the Australian Department of Health (DOH) and want to share some of the key points with you:
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Our members and the BAA team have faced usability issues and privacy concerns with the current MAIF complaints system. It's time for an upgrade!
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To make things easier, BAA has taken the initiative to create a more user-friendly solution at our expense. We've introduced a streamlined Jotform to replace the cumbersome DOH Word document submissions. We believe this will remove barriers for making complaints when consumers find a MAIF breach.
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We've adopted a privacy-focused approach. We collect complainants' email addresses and, with their permission, send complaints on their behalf while ensuring the authenticity of each complaint. This allows consumers to remain anonymous if they choose.
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Our Solution:
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BAA will collect submissions on behalf of our members and send MAIF complaints to DOH to simplify the process. We're a volunteer-run organisation, and we value efficiency and simplicity.
We kindly request your support by giving the form a try when you see a breach.
Together, we can create a more accessible, transparent, and consumer-friendly system.
Please feel free to ask questions about MAIF or anything related you would like to understand more about. We recognise this is a complicated topic and want to empower our community to participate fully.