Breastfeeding row: Trump says poor mothers need milk formula, but experts don’t swallow it
Trump says impoverished women should not be denied access to formula – a US$47 billion industry – after US is accused of trying to sink UN resolution on breastfeeding
US President Donald Trump weighed in Monday to defend women’s “access” to formula milk, after an article accused the United States of seeking to torpedo a World Health Organisation resolution on breastfeeding.
A weekend report in The New York Times stated that US delegates to a recent WHO meeting sought to delete from a resolution on infant nutrition language that urged member states to “protect, promote and support” breastfeeding.
The United States reportedly pressured Ecuador to drop sponsorship of the text, threatening trade sanctions and military aid cuts. In the end, the Times said, the Russians stepped in to introduce the measure – and the final resolution preserved most of the original wording.
Noting that the US position aligned with infant formula manufacturers, the paper cited the case as an example of the Trump administration siding with corporate interests on public health and environmental issues.
Trump hit out at the Times article, while saying the United States was committed to ensuring women are not “denied” formula.
“The failing NY Times Fake News story today about breast feeding must be called out,” the president tweeted.