The BMJ to ban all formula milk ads

The research journal BMJ announced today that it and its sister journals would no longer publish advertisements for breast milk substitutes and formula milk. In an editorial, the BMJ cites several reasons for this new policy, including adherence to the WHO’s International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes, which explicitly prohibits promoting the products to the general public. The journal, which has run those ads for decades, says that a complete ban will cost an estimated $400,000 in lost revenue in 2020, as the final ad will appear later this year. “[D]ecisions on when and how to use infant formula are best informed by sources of unbiased evidence rather than commercial advertisements,” the editorial states.