Vol. 433 No. 7
144 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Health if he will consider placing restrictions on the importation of products manufactured by a company (details supplied) as UNICEF has estimated that the company's marketing of baby milk products and the resulting effect on breast feeding has caused the deaths of over a million infants in certain Third World countries.
From June 1994 the marketing of infant formulae in third markets (i.e. non-EEC markets) will be regulated by way of an EC Directive (92/52/EEC). This directive will prohibit the export of infant formulae and follow on formulae products from EC member states to other countries unless the composition of the product and marketing practices are commensurate with the very high standards applicable to the EC markets.
It is not open to me to impose restrictions on products of non-EC firms who may not comply with the requirements of the World Health Organisation code of practice or of the EC Directives when selling into non-EC markets.
