INC Breastfeeding Policy

Introduction

Principles

The Infant Nutrition Council recognises;

  • that breastfeeding is the normal way to feed a baby
  • that breastfeeding provides valuable short and long-term health benefits for babies and mothers.
  • the rights of women to breastfeed without discrimination and the rights of infants to receive optimum nutrition from breastmilk.
  • that it is unlawful to treat a woman less favourably on the basis that she is breastfeeding under anti-discrimination laws (such as the Australia Federal Sex Discrimination Act 1984 and the NZ Human Rights Commission Act 1977 and Employment Relations Act 2000).
  • that breastfeeding provides long term benefits for employers and communities.

Aim

The Infant Nutrition Council is committed to promoting the value of breastfeeding and improving breastfeeding rates by proactively supporting the protection and promotion of breastfeeding.

Develop your own Workplace breastfeeding policy

Supports employees who wish to return to work and maintain a breastfeeding relationship with their child by breastfeeding or expressing breast milk in the workplace.

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Baby feeding programme self-assessment checklist

Have you an approved Workplace Breastfeeding Policy to support breastfeeding or expressing breast milk?

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Australian National Breastfeeding Strategy collection

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Breastfeeding policy

Policy

  • The Infant Nutrition Council supports the aim of the World Health Organisation International Code of Marketing of Breast Milk Substitutes (WHO 1981) through its members’ voluntary restriction of the marketing of infant formula through the Marketing in Australia of Infant Formulas: Manufacturers and Importers Agreement 1992 (MAIF Agreement) and in New Zealand the Infant Nutrition Council Code of Practice for the Marketing of Infant Formula.
  • The Infant Nutrition Council and its members are committed to including strategies and activities in their annual strategic planning that support, promote and protect breastfeeding.
  • The Infant Nutrition Council and its members encourage their employees to breastfeed and are committed to providing ongoing support to their employees to continue to breastfeed after returning to work.
  • The Infant Nutrition Council will work in collaboration with other breastfeeding advocates such as the Australian Breastfeeding Association, the New Zealand Breastfeeding Authority and other NGOs.

Support to breastfeed will include:

  • Support of legislation around paid maternity leave and enhancements to paid maternity leave.
  • The provision of paid maternity leave and further unpaid leave to a total of 12 months.
  • The offer of flexible working arrangements to more easily enable women to return to work and breastfeed simultaneously.
  • Workplace support to ensure that breastfeeding employees feel comfortable to breastfeed in the workplace and do not suffer discrimination or harassment as a result of doing so.

Promotion of breastfeeding will include:

  • Information about breastmilk and breastfeeding on the Infant Nutrition Council website.
  • Information on breastfeeding, including local resources, to all pregnant and breastfeeding employees.
  • The positive promotion of breastfeeding in appropriate company workplace areas and in-house communications with staff.
  • Awareness of the company’s breastfeeding policy to all staff and included in new employee induction.

INC’s members will work towards additional support to breastfeed through:

  • The provision of lactation breaks to enable mothers to breastfeed their infant or express their breastmilk.
  • The provision of a suitable facility in which mothers can breastfeed their infant or express and store their breastmilk. The facility will be clean, comfortable and private. It will include hand washing and milk storage facilities and an electrical outlet for mothers who use an electric breast pump.

References:

  • World Health Organization Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding. (WHO 2003)
  • National Health and Medical Research Council: Dietary guidelines for children and adolescents in Australia: A guide to healthy eating (NHMRC 2003)
  • Food and Nutrition Guidelines for Healthy Infants and Toddlers (Aged 0-2) – A background paper (Ministry of Health 2008)
  • World Health Organisation International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes (WHO 1981)

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