Ahead of 2026 World Breastfeeding Week, held from 1 to 7 August, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has issued an urgent call to countries across the Americas to ramp up protections for new and expecting families against the booming, increasingly sophisticated digital marketing of breast-milk substitutes that threatens to undermine global breastfeeding progress. The call comes as public health data reveals that the digital transformation of consumer marketing has created new, underregulated barriers to evidence-based infant feeding decision-making, at a time when regional breastfeeding rates still fall far short of global public health targets.
Breastfeeding is universally recognized by global health authorities as one of the most impactful public health interventions available. It delivers optimal nutrition to infants, boosts their developing immune systems, cuts long-term risk of chronic and acute illness, and supports healthy physical and cognitive growth. For birthing parents, it also carries significant long and short-term health benefits, from reduced postpartum complication risk to lower rates of certain chronic diseases. Despite these well-documented advantages, current regional data shows that only 43 percent of infants in Latin America and the Caribbean are exclusively breastfed for their first six months of life – a figure that sits well below the World Health Organization’s 2030 global target of 60 percent exclusive breastfeeding.
PAHO officials warn that the unregulated digital marketing of breast-milk substitutes has emerged as a major, underaddressed driver of this gap. Unlike traditional print or broadcast advertising, modern digital marketing tactics operate largely outside public and regulatory scrutiny. Brands leverage personalized algorithms, artificial intelligence, social media platforms, and influencer partnerships to target vulnerable groups: pregnant people, new mothers, and primary caregivers with hyper-specific, tailored messaging that often contradicts evidence-based public health guidance. According to regional researchers, more than 80 percent of all marketing for breast-milk substitutes now takes place across digital channels, making this the primary space where families encounter commercial messaging around infant feeding.
New data presented at a recent PAHO regional seminar on breastfeeding protection underscores the scale of the regulatory gap. Just 45 percent of countries in Latin America and the Caribbean have implemented national measures aligned with the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes, the global framework first adopted by the World Health Assembly in 1981 to restrict inappropriate marketing of infant formula and other substitutes. Only two nations, Brazil and Argentina, have achieved full substantial alignment with the Code, while many small Caribbean nations still lack any specific national legislation governing breast-milk substitute marketing. Even in countries with existing regulations, regional monitoring found widespread potential violations across social media platforms, brand websites, and other digital channels, where the vast majority of modern marketing activity now occurs.
Research from the Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama (INCAP) confirms the tangible public health harm of this unregulated activity. Studies conducted across Central America found that caregiver exposure to digital marketing for breast-milk substitutes is directly linked to higher rates of early formula use, and cuts the likelihood that a child will be breastfed beyond 12 months by nearly 50 percent. “Marketing and promotion of commercial milk formula products have evolved, and the digital environment remains a regulatory gap that has yet to be adequately addressed,” noted Mónica Mazariegos, an INCAP researcher. “Digital strategies allow companies to reach mothers, fathers, and caregivers frequently and with highly personalized advertising.”
In response to the evolving threat, the World Health Assembly recently updated its guidance, expanding the scope of the International Code to explicitly cover modern digital marketing practices, including social media campaigns, content creator partnerships, influencer endorsements, and online platform advertising. Experts at the PAHO regional seminar outlined a multi-pronged approach to address the crisis: updating national legislation to explicitly extend marketing restrictions to digital channels, building more robust monitoring and enforcement systems, leveraging new digital tools to proactively detect regulatory violations, and strengthening cross-border regional cooperation to tackle marketing that easily moves between national jurisdictions. Participants also highlighted the critical need for stronger personal data protections and greater transparency around how digital targeted advertising operates, to prevent brands from exploiting personal health data to target vulnerable families.
PAHO emphasizes that regulatory action to restrict harmful marketing must be paired with direct public health support for breastfeeding families. This includes expanded access to evidence-based breastfeeding counselling, workplace and social policies that enable women to breastfeed for the WHO-recommended six months of exclusive breastfeeding and continued breastfeeding up to two years and beyond, and community support services that help families navigate challenges. “Breastfeeding is far more than an individual choice. It is one of the most effective ways to give children the best possible start in life,” explained Vanessa Garcia Larsen, Chief of PAHO’s Risk Factors Unit. “In the digital age, protecting breastfeeding also means protecting families from commercial practices that may influence their decisions.”
The ultimate goal of these reforms, Garcia Larsen added, is to ensure that all families have access to objective, evidence-based infant feeding information, free from inappropriate commercial influence. As part of 2026 World Breastfeeding Week, which carries the theme “Breastfeeding for a Sustainable Start in Life: Strengthen What Works,” PAHO will host a virtual regional seminar on August 7 to bring together policymakers, researchers, and public health practitioners to share successful strategies for strengthening breastfeeding policies and support programs across the Americas.