IDFA is urging federal officials to stand up against World Health Organization (WHO) actions that encourage foreign governments to exclude industry stakeholders from policy-development efforts and pressure countries to adopt policies discouraging the consumption of dairy products by young children. IDFA, the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) and the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) last week sent joint comments asking the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to ensure the proposed actions are not endorsed later this month at the World Health Assembly (WHA), the annual meeting of WHO’s governing body in Geneva, Switzerland.

WHO Toolkit

In January, WHO publicized a draft toolkit, “Safeguarding Against Possible Conflicts of Interest in Nutrition Programs,” with a decision-making checklist that discourages countries from allowing industry stakeholders to participate in several stages of policy development. This approach is contrary to existing WHO guidance, international law and best practices, the dairy groups said in the comments.

“At a time when governments, international institutions, the private sector and civil society are increasingly aware of the critical need to work together in innovative and mutually beneficial ways, the WHO risks isolating members and damaging their own credibility and functioning by moving in the opposite direction to close off partnership opportunities,” the groups said.

The groups said that if the toolkit recommendations are implemented, it would deprive WHO member countries of the resources and expertise needed to improve health. They urged HHS to ensure that future WHO recommendations recognize the benefit of engaging with industry stakeholders and that future recommendations should be based on sound science and developed transparently with opportunities for input from all stakeholders.

WHO Proposal Discourages Dairy for Children

The groups also urged HHS to challenge WHO’s guidance discouraging the consumption of dairy products by young children, saying it could have a negative impact on the health of millions of children who rely on dairy products for nutrition.

In 2016, WHO finalized a report containing “Guidance on Ending Inappropriate Promotion of Foods for Infants and Young Children,” which seeks to unduly restrict the marketing of milk and other dairy products for consumption by infants and young children. The World Health Assembly did not endorse the report at its 2016 meeting, based in part on interventions by the U.S. delegation. The assembly said WHO should follow its existing recommendations that promote dairy product consumption and recognized the Codex Alimentarius Commission as the global food standard-setting body.

Although the assembly did not endorse the guidance at last year’s WHA either, WHO continues to promote the recommendations and seeks to incorporate them into the draft Codex Standard for Follow-up Formula.

The dairy groups asked HHS to ensure the WHA does not endorse these WHO recommendations at its upcoming meeting, or call on member states to implement them. Instead, the WHA should make clear that countries are not obligated to implement the recommendations contained in the 2016 guidance.

Read the comments here.