Promotions of breastmilk substitutes, commercial complementary foods and commercial snack products commonly fed to young children are frequently found in points-of-sale in Bandung City, Indonesia.

Abstract

Few studies have documented the marketing of commercial foods and beverages for infants and young children in West Java, Indonesia. To assess the prevalence of promotions at points‐of‐sale for commercially produced products commonly fed to young children in Bandung City, 43 small and large stores were visited in 2017. Promotions for breastmilk substitutes (BMS), commercially produced complementary foods (CPCF), and select types of commercial snack products were photographed and information recorded on promotion characteristics. There were 402 and 206 promotions observed with BMS and CPCF products, respectively. Sixteen promotions with BMS products for infants under 12 months were found in 42.9% of stores selling BMS, violating national regulations. Almost all BMS promotions (98.3%) included BMS products for ages 1 year and above (“growing‐up milks”). Of all BMS products available for sale, half of all infant/follow‐up formula and 77.2% of growing‐up milks were promoted. CPCF were found in 97.7% of stores, and 81.0% of these stores had promotions; 70.5% of all available CPCF products were promoted. Of the 2,451 promotions observed for commercial snack products, 17.3% used promotional techniques targeting young children or caregivers. Joint‐promotions were common, with BMS and CPCF marketed in combination with commercial snack products; 49.0% of BMS promotions were joint BMS‐snack promotions, and 80.0% or more of infant/follow‐up formula promotions included a commercial snack. Revising and enforcing infant food and beverage marketing regulations to ensure consistency with global standards are necessary to protect and promote optimal infant and young child feeding in Indonesia.