Breastfeeding is vital for baby growth, considering the emotional and nutritional benefits associated with the process. However, due to various reasons, ranging from illnesses to the demands of the modern working environment as well as the death and abandonment, many children miss out on this crucial process. In return, they are subjected to processed foods, animal milk or pressed milk to meet their dietary needs. In the short, term, this approach proves lifesaving, however, into the long run, it is becoming abundantly clear that numerous issues tend to arise in the long run, creating numerous health complications for the recipients of such products. For this discussion, however, the main focus is on the formula milk, its impact on child health, and more crucially, the crude marketing methods assumed by formula-milk producing companies despite the underlying factors of health and mismanagement.
According to Sandra Sandra (2003), who borrows heavily from Marsha Walker’s book Selling Out Mothers and Babies, the reader is presented with the onset of marketing gimmicks employed by formular companies. The introduction of the International Code of Marketing of Breast Milk back in 1984 by the World Health Assembly was designed to streamline the formula industry by categorizing it as a health issue rather than as an economic issue. This move was however solely rejected by the United States, through formula company lobbying thus creating avenues for manipulation of the masses through unscientific claims promoted through various mass media platforms. A good example being the 2008 Chinese Formula Scandal that gripped the world like never before.
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2008 Chinese Formula Scandal and Nestlé’s Implication
On the 2 nd of August 2008, when the world’s largest dairy product trader Fonterra Group discovered melamine in its powdered milk products produced by its China-based subsidiary; the Sanlu Group. The shocking results of this discovery would ripple across the Chinese market and to an extent the global dairy industry considering that many other companies would be implicated in the scandal including Nestlé (Mooney, 2008). This information was further aggravated by the realization that over 300,000 Chinese infants suffered from kidney and urinary tract effects as a result of the consumption of these products. This prompted the involvement of various agencies including the government which established that up to 20 other dairy companies had their products contaminated with melamine including Cadbury, Nestlé, and Unilever. While many companies would go on to exonerate themselves, many others recalled their products from the market in a bid to save face.
However, beneath this racket lay the dark secret of exploitation and marketing. According to Gossner et al. (2009) melamine often passes for a protein in various tests. This is despite the fact that it is a chemical that is used in various industrial processes. According to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (2009), melamine is used in the production of melamine-formaldehyde which plays a crucial role in the manufacture of coatings, plastics, adhesives as well as laminates and kitchenware. Despite its clear-cut depiction as a contaminant, its inclusion in formula milk is largely due to the fact that it can be easily be mistaken for a protein. As a result, therefore, its inclusion was deliberate in that it allowed the manufactures to illegally claim the fact that their products had higher levels of the protein. For parents and nutritionists who are well-aware of the importance of protein amounts for the growth and development of the baby, this can prove to be a winner in the market.
However, such individuals remain unaware of the contamination of milk products with cheap melamine which went on to instigate numerous health issues for the children. According to Gossner and co. the inclusion of the melamine of milk powder and other dairy products resulted in the onset of kidney stones and renal failure among infants who consumed the contaminated products. This information was further backed by the realization that the inclusion of melamine in pet food back in 2007 saw the increase in renal failure in numerous pets across the United States, with a similar case having been reported in the Republic of Korea back in 2004. The underlying fact, therefore, was that the Nestle and its counterparts in the industry had deliberately chosen to hoodwink their customers into believing that their products had higher protein content despite the adverse health effects such a move would impose on the consumers.
APA Code of Ethics
Such a case serves to highlight the violation of moral and ethical codes of society in failing to protect the consumers. It is important to note that clinicians play a huge role in the promotion of these products following various financial incentives. A good example is when a licensed psychologist endorses a product with no empirical evidence supporting its claims; a clear violation of Principle B on Fidelity and Responsibility in the APA Code of Ethics. It stipulates that:
“ Psychologists are aware of their professional and scientific responsibilities to society and to the specific communities in which they work. Psychologists uphold professional standards of conduct, clarify their professional roles and obligations, accept appropriate responsibility for their behavior, and seek to manage conflicts of interest that could lead to exploitation or harm” (APA, 2002, p. 3).
The guiding principle of professional psychology is that proper evaluation of facts, issues, and situations surrounding a given position must be analyzed in an effort to establish the subsequent consequences for various stakeholders. Without looking at the possible negative impacts of a public position, a psychologist is in violation of his or her professional code of ethics and conduct.
References
American Psychological Association. (2002). Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct. American psychologist , 57 (12), 1060-1073.
Gossner, C. M. E., Schlundt, J., Ben Embarek, P., Hird, S., Lo-Fo-Wong, D., Beltran, J. J. O., ... & Tritscher, A. (2009). The melamine incident: implications for international food and feed safety. Environmental health perspectives , 117 (12), 1803-1808.
Mooney, P. (2008). The Story behind China's Tainted Milk Scandal. Retrieved from https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2008/10/09/the-story-behind-chinas-tainted-milk-scandal.
Sandra, G. M. (2003). Selling Out Mothers and Babies by Marsha Walker. The Journal of perinatal education , 12 (1), 48-50.
