International code of marketing of breast-milk substitutes. Part one of a series.

INTRODUCTION The WHO and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have for many years emphasized the importance of maintaining the practice of breast-feeding as a way to improve the health and nutrition of infants and young children. Efforts to promote breast-feeding and to overcome problems that might discourage it are part of the overall nutritional program considered as a key issue of maternal and child health-saving programs offered by both organizations.