Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Madeleine Stirling, Research Assistant, ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making & Society, The University of Melbourne
Recently, the federal government released a consultation paper seeking input on whether it should introduce legislation to prevent or restrict infant formula marketing in Australia. The consultation is open for submissions until April 10.
Until February 2025, Australian formula brands were under a voluntary agreement not to advertise formula products for babies aged 0 to 12 months, in order to support and protect breastfeeding.
With recent data revealing lower-than-desired rates of breastfeeding in Australia, the government has chosen not to renew the voluntary arrangement and is exploring tougher measures.
These moves don’t explicitly promote breastfeeding. Rather, they aim to curtail marketing practices that position formula as an equivalent or preferable alternative.
Our analysis of online formula ads targeting parents in Australia reveals how companies prey on parents’ anxiety – and the problems with having a voluntary agreement.What’s wrong with advertising formula?
Breastfeeding has extensive health benefits for both mother and child. These include protection against gastrointestinal and respiratory infections for newborns, reduced risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes later in life, and reduced risk of mothers developing ovarian and breast cancer.
Because of this, Australian guidelines recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months. The World Health Organization recommends continued breastfeeding for the first two years.
However, while breastfeeding rates are high at birth in Australia, they quickly drop. Only 37% of babies were reported to have been exclusively breastfed by six months in 2022.
There are various reasons why mothers choose not to breastfeed, but the advertising of formula products is a concern. It’s been shown to confuse parents about the nutritional benefits of formula versus breastmilk, reduce breastfeeding initiation and duration, and present formula as a more favourable solution in the face of breastfeeding challenges (many of which can be overcome with the right support).
Formula is valuable. It’s often an essential option for those unable to breastfeed. However, it’s also expensive and can financially strain families, particularly during the first year of a child’s life.
Online advertising also operates very differently from traditional ads. Online, ads target people based on their searches, browsing histories or life events. They can reach new or expecting parents precisely when they might be most uncertain or vulnerable to suggestion.
What do the ads for infant formula say?
The ADM+S Australian Ad Observatory, which we and our colleagues run, collects data on the ads Australians encounter online to better understand how digital advertising systems operate.
In 2022 we collected ads from 1,200 Australian adults who voluntarily installed a plug-in on their browser to scrape ads while they were scrolling Facebook. From 2025 we’ve been collecting ads from around 300 Australians. They use an app to share the ads that appear while they scroll Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube on their phones.
For this analysis, we examined ads collected in both years, and identified a total of 158 ads promoting formula products from local and international brands.
We found brands used various tactics to appeal to parents. Some highlighted positive customer reviews or offered free downloadable cookbooks and “house baby proofing” guides.
Other ads were in partnership with prominent retailers, directing people to online shopping interfaces through “buy now” buttons.
Most formula brands made some kind of claim regarding the nutritional or behavioural benefits of their products. These claims prey on the anxiety parents commonly feel to ensure their children are meeting nutritional, sleep and developmental milestones.
Some manufacturers claimed their product was fortified with vitamins and prebiotics that would “improve gut health” or help a toddler sleep longer at night.
Others claimed their formula would provide mothers with “a moment of calm” or strengthen their toddler’s immune system. This is despite scientific evidence that shows breastmilk can provide necessary antibodies to a sick child in real time.
Starting them young
Many of the ads used pictures of very young toddlers who could easily be mistaken for infants aged 12 months or under. In one instance we discovered an ad clearly promoting formula designed for babies under 12 months.
This, alongside the use of images of very young children to promote “toddler milk” (formula marketed for children aged 1–3 years), highlights some of the issues with a voluntary advertising agreement.
Since toddler milk marketing was exempt, brands could target parents of newborns. They’d gain brand awareness and consumer trust, which could then result in a parent choosing to start their child on formula instead – or earlier than they otherwise would.
Enforcement has also been an issue. The consequences for breaching the agreement – publishing the breach on the Department of Health website – are not considered meaningful enough by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.
At the same time, the digital advertising environment provides very little visibility into what marketing is actually circulating or who is exposed to it.
Outside of specialised research tools, such as our Ad Observatory and the Australian Internet Observatory, there’s no systematic way to observe infant formula ads that appear on personalised social media feeds.
What might the government end up doing about it?
The government is considering the following options:
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keep the status quo – no regulation
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introduce legislation that mirrors the former voluntary agreement, preventing infant formula (0–12 months) from being promoted
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introduce legislation that also limits toddler milk marketing (1–3 years).
We’ve provided all our data to the government to aid the decision-making process. However, while the ads we found are a peek behind the curtain, they likely underrepresent the scale of formula marketing happening online.
Infant formula can be an essential and sometimes life-saving intervention for families who need it. But health interventions don’t depend on persuasive advertising to fulfil their purpose.
The real policy question is whether a product designed to support infants should be promoted through the same marketing systems that sell snack foods, cosmetics and financial products.
Acknowlegement: The Australian Ad Observatory is a team effort. The authors wish to acknowledge the contribution of Khanh Luong, Giselle Newton, Phoebe Price-Barker, Lara Skinner, Abdul Obeid and Dan Tran.
– ref. Australia may ban infant formula advertising. Here’s what the online ads actually say – https://theconversation.com/australia-may-ban-infant-formula-advertising-heres-what-the-online-ads-actually-say-278084
