Abstract
Background: International food standards set by the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), have become more prominent in international trade politics, since being referenced by various World Trade Organization (WTO) agreements. We examine how this impacts implementation of the World Health Organization (WHO) International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes. Methods: Using trade in commercial milk formulas (CMFs) as a case study, we collected detailed data on interventions across various WTO bodies between 1995 and 2019. We used language from these interventions to guide data collection on member state and observer positions during the CAC review of the Codex Standard for Follow-up Formula (CSFUF), and during CAC discussions on the relevance of WHO policies and guidelines. Results: Exporting member states made 245 interventions regarding CMFs at the WTO, many citing deviations from standards set by the CAC. These did not occur in formal disputes, but in WTO Committee and Accession processes, toward many countries. In Thailand, complaints are linked to weakened regulation. Exporters also sought to narrow the CSFUF at the CAC in a way that is at odds with recommendations in the International Code. Tensions are growing more broadly within the CAC regarding relevance of WHO recommendations. Countries coordinated during WTO committee processes to advocate for reapportioning core WHO funding to the CAC and in order to further influence standard-setting. Conclusion: The commercial interests of the baby food industry are magnifying inconsistencies between health guidelines set by the WHO, standard-setting at the CAC, and functions of the WTO. This poses serious concerns for countries’ abilities to regulate in the interests of public health, in this case to protect breastfeeding and its benefits for the health of infants, children and mothers.
Highlights
InternatioCnoalmfomodenstaonnda“rdNs asvetigbayttihnegCBoedtewx eAelnimSentetaarliuths CAodmvmocisasicoyn a(CnAdCU),nhcaovne sbceicooumseDmoogrematismAR:erctTeicivhleedeH: 1is5tJoarnyu:ary prominent in internatiConhaal llterandgeepooflitRices,sesainrccehbineigngthreefeNreonrcmeds,bPy ovlairtiiocussaWndorlPdoTwreadreoOf GrgalonibzaatlioHne(aWltThO”)Accepted: 17 August 2021 agreements
We examine the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) standard-setting process for followup formula (FUF), one type of commercial milk formula (CMF) product, and describe how this process influences trade negotiations and disputes occurring under the auspices of the World Trade Organization (WTO)
The Intersection Between International Trade Governance and Global Health Governance Thow et al call the intersection between global health and international trade governance a “regime complex.”[17]. The term regime complex refers to “...a set of overlapping and perhaps even contradictory regimes that share a common focus,” such that “...decisions made in one forum can be influenced, revised, or undermined by decisions and politics within a parallel or overlapping domestic or international forum (p. 330-331).”[18]. We demonstrate the relevance of the theory by examining how the separate regimes for global public health and trade policy interact with each other around the promotion of CMF trade, including the evolution, application, and enforcement of CMF standards
Summary
InternatioCnoalmfomodenstaonnda“rdNs asvetigbayttihnegCBoedtewx eAelnimSentetaarliuths CAodmvmocisasicoyn a(CnAdCU),nhcaovne sbceicooumseDmoogrematismAR:erctTeicivhleedeH: 1is5tJoarnyu:ary prominent in internatiConhaal llterandgeepooflitRices,sesainrccehbineigngthreefeNreonrcmeds,bPy ovlairtiiocussaWndorlPdoTwreadreoOf GrgalonibzaatlioHne(aWltThO”). We examine how this impacts implementation of the World Health Organization (WHO) International ePublished: 24 August 2021. Code of Marketing of BCrleeamste-mt AilkskShuebimsti,tuKtreiss.tin Heggen, Eivind Engebretsen**
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