Breastmilk substitutes may seem like a harmless option for mothers feeding their infants; however, they can be doing more harm than you think. In his recent post, filmmaker Shekhar Kapur claims that Nestlé Baby Milk has caused the deaths of many infants. His comment comes after influencer FoodPharmer’s video featuring Dr Arun Gupta, who spoke out against breastmilk substitutes, went viral online. Influencer Revant Himatsingka, more popularly known as FoodPharmer, took to social media to talk about the issues of infant food substitutes. He begins the now viral video by talking about how there are no infant food products or food milk substitute ads in India and how no celebrities endorse these products. The person behind this is Dr Arun Gupta, who got these ads banned. In the video, he mentions that Dr Arun very early on realised that companies like Nestlé Baby Milk were trying hard to get Indian mothers to not breastfeed their infants and give them baby formula instead. Homemade Baby Formula: What Is It and Why You Shouldn't Make DIY Formula Milk Amid Massive Shortage

Dr Arun mentions that these baby formulas usually contain excessive amounts of sugar, whereas sugar in any quantity should not be given to any infant. In the video, FoodPharmer states that sugar was never added to any of the infant food products given to children in Europe. However, sugar was added to the products sold in India. After his video went viral, filmmaker Shekhar Kapur spoke out against Nestlé Baby Milk. In his post, he claims that the company is responsible for the deaths of many infants after convincing Indian mothers through their marketing gimmicks that their milk lacked the necessary nutrients.

In India, The IMS Act (Indian Milk Substitutes) bans any type of promotion of infant formulas, infant milk substitutes, and infant foods for children aged 0–2 years and feeding bottles as well. The Act aims to prohibit the use of milk substitutes like Nestogen, Lactogen, etc. In addition, the act also prohibits the funding of seminars or any kind of sponsorships that is related to infant food substitutes. Chemist shops, too, are not allowed to promote infant food products and substitutes. The Act also bans the passing of incorrect information to a mother or her family members through any infant food substitute advertisements. Formula Milk for Infants: What Is Baby Formula? From Its Invention to Different Varieties, Know All About Infant Milk.

Shekhar Kapur Comments on Infant Milk Substitutes

Influencer FoodPharmer’s Viral Video on Infant Food Products

Shekhar Kapur further added that the companies tried hard to convince Indian mothers through their advertisements that their infant food products and milk substitutes were of a higher quality than mothers’ milk. But it has been proven that a mother’s milk is far superior to any infant food product out there and has the probiotics infants need to build their immune systems, something commercial infant food products lack.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 27, 2024 01:59 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).