Daily Times

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Government in its first step to implement the KP Protection of Breast Feeding and Child Nutrition Act 2015, has decided to regulate the selling of artificial milk products of all national and multi-national companies manufactured for infants as substitute of mother’s milk.

There will be a complete ban on selling of such products in the province without a clear, conspicuous and easily understood message “Mother’s Milk is Better for your Baby and Helps in Preventing Diarrhea and other Illnesses” printed on it.

This was decided in the very first meeting of the KP Infant Feeding Board constituted under the above-cited law held here with Senior Minister for Health and Chairman of the Board Shahram Khan Tarakai in the chair.

The decision has been taken in accordance with the provision of the law to encourage breast feeding in the province so as to ensure child nutrition and protect them from various diseases.

The meeting of the board decided that a period of 60 days will be given to the manufacturing companies to clearly print the aforesaid message on their products in both Urdu and English languages in the prescribed height of at least 20 percent of the total height of the container while a period of 30 days will be given for the products already placed in the market to affix a label containing the same message on the products and after this period there will be complete ban on selling of artificial milk products without carrying the prescribed message and the violators will be proceeded against as per provisions of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa protection of Breastfeeding and Child Nutrition Act 2015.

The meeting also decided to assign special task to drug inspector of health department to monitor the selling of artificial milk products. The said law prohibits that no person shall in any manner assert that nay designated product is a substitute for mother’s milk or that its equivalent to mother’s milk. The law also prohibits that such product should not contain any thing that may discourage breast feeding.

Addressing the meeting the provincial minster termed that law as highly important with regard to child nutrition and said that it will be implanted in its letter and spirit.