Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 20 June 2023
476. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will be sending a representative to the Global Congress on Implementation of the International Code of Marketing of Breast-Milk Substitutes in Geneva. [29288/23]
View answerMy colleague the Minister for Health has responsibility for public health policy, and his Department is responsible for the issue raised. I have been informed that the Department of Health is unable to send representation to the meeting referenced by the Deputy taking place in Geneva in June 2023, because of other diary commitments.
The Department of Health has also advised that it endorses the WHO International Code of Marketing of Breast-Milk Substitutes and that the HSE Breastfeeding in a Healthy Ireland Action Plan is the framework for progressing supports for breastfeeding in Ireland. One key action in the framework is to strengthen compliance with the International Code of Marketing of Breast Milk Substitutes and subsequent World Health Assembly (WHA) resolutions. A HSE Policy for staff on the Marketing of Breast Milk Substitutes came into effect in October 2021. It requires that all services comply with the WHO Code.
Article 10 of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/127 sets out the requirements for promotional and commercial practices for infant formula. These measures are designed so that the marketing and distribution of infant formula does not interfere with the protection and promotion of breastfeeding.
My Department is responsible for the supervision of the Infant Formula manufacturing sector in Ireland. This is done through a programme of risk based controls to verify that the sector has effective food safety management systems in place. One aspect of this control system is oversight by my Department of the labelling requirements set out in Regulation (EU) 2016/127 . These requirements include restrictions on the use of nutrition and health claims, requirements regarding composition, and other mandatory labelling information regarding the superiority of breastfeeding.
