Petition to 10 Downing Street

Urgent Government Action Required:

Regulation of Infant Formula Advertising and a National Public Health Campaign on Human Milk

To the Prime Minister and Officials of 10 Downing Street,

We, the undersigned, respectfully submit this petition to urge the Government to take immediate and decisive action to protect the health of infants and mothers, support families, safeguard the environment, and uphold the integrity of public health information across the United Kingdom.

1. Regulate and Enforce Restrictions on Misleading Infant Formula Advertising

Infant formula companies continue to use aggressive, persuasive, and often scientifically misleading advertising practices, targeting parents during a period of vulnerability. These tactics distort scientific understanding, erode parental confidence, and deepen health inequalities.

We call upon the Government to:

Strengthen regulation and enforcement of all formula marketing, ensuring strict compliance with national and international standards.
Introduce robust penalties for inaccurate, manipulative, or misleading claims.
Establish transparent, independent oversight to prevent commercial influence over parental education and infant-feeding decisions.

Government leadership is essential to ensure public health is not undermined by profit-driven marketing.

2. Regulate Social Media Influencers and Digital Advertising Channels

Social media has become a major vessel through which formula companies promote their products, often bypassing traditional advertising rules. Influencers are frequently compensated—directly or indirectly—to present formula products in ways that circumvent existing regulations and appear as personal recommendations rather than paid promotions.

We therefore urge the Government to:

Include social media influencers, content creators, and digital marketing agencies within all infant formula advertising regulations.
Require full disclosure, transparency, and strict limitations on sponsored content relating to infant feeding.
Expand monitoring and enforcement across social platforms to prevent covert advertising, gifted products, or implied health claims.
Work with regulatory bodies to ensure that digital advertising standards match or exceed traditional advertising controls, closing existing loopholes.

Parents must be protected from disguised promotions and misleading online endorsements.

3. Establish a National Public Health Campaign on Human Milk and Its Benefits for Mothers, Babies, and the Environment

Human milk is a living, biologically active substance containing antibodies, immune cells, enzymes, hormones, and other protective components that cannot be replicated in manufactured formula. It provides profound benefits to health and development.

A government-led campaign should clearly communicate that:

Babies who receive human milk have reduced risks of infections, hospitalisations, chronic diseases, sudden infant death, and long-term health complications.
Mothers benefit from lower risks of breast and ovarian cancers, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and postpartum complications.
Higher breastfeeding rates benefit the environment, reducing waste, packaging, industrial emissions, water consumption, and global supply chain impacts tied to formula production.

Improving breastfeeding outcomes also offers significant long-term NHS savings, easing pressure on healthcare services.

4. Ensure Families Have Access to Independent, Evidence-Based Guidance

Parents deserve clear, impartial, and scientifically grounded information, free from commercial influence. Infant-feeding support must prioritise public health, not corporate profit.

We call upon 10 Downing Street to ensure that:

Public health messaging is developed independently of formula manufacturers.
Healthcare professionals are supported with high-quality, evidence-based training and materials.
Families can access transparent, trustworthy guidance, including the environmental, maternal, and infant health impacts of feeding choices.

We therefore respectfully petition 10 Downing Street to:

Strengthen regulation and enforcement of harmful or misleading infant formula advertising.
Extend advertising regulations to social media influencers, digital agencies, and online promotional channels.
Develop and implement a national public health campaign on human milk, its composition, and its benefits for mothers, babies, and the environment.
Guarantee families access to independent, evidence-based information, free from commercial interference.

The health of mothers, babies, and our environment must not be compromised by aggressive marketing or misinformation. We urge the Government to act swiftly and decisively in the interests of families, public health, and the long-term sustainability of the NHS and our planet.