RIYADH: Health Minister Tawfik Al-Rabiah has fined 10 companies in three regions for selling substitute breast milk without authorization.
According to ministry sources, the companies were found in Jazan, Taif and Jeddah. The action was taken in accordance with Article 19 of Royal Decree 49 issued in 2004 prohibiting the sale of breast milk substitutes without permission. The firms face fines of between SR5,000 and SR50,000.
Talking to a local daily, Mishari bin Hamad Al-Dakhil, general supervisor of the ministry’s nutrition department and chairman of the committee to encourage breastfeeding, said penalties range from warnings to fines.
Al-Dakhil said infants have the right to consume mother’s milk. Substitutes can only be used based on medical advice under special circumstances.
He said a mother’s milk contains all the vitamins needed for the growth of an infant.
Aside from providing the baby with the healthiest option, breastfeeding also creates a deep bond between a mother and child. According to the World Health Organization, almost all mothers can breastfeed successfully — initiating this within the first hour after birth until two years of age. It should only be stopped under special circumstances.
According to ministry sources, the companies were found in Jazan, Taif and Jeddah. The action was taken in accordance with Article 19 of Royal Decree 49 issued in 2004 prohibiting the sale of breast milk substitutes without permission. The firms face fines of between SR5,000 and SR50,000.
Talking to a local daily, Mishari bin Hamad Al-Dakhil, general supervisor of the ministry’s nutrition department and chairman of the committee to encourage breastfeeding, said penalties range from warnings to fines.
Al-Dakhil said infants have the right to consume mother’s milk. Substitutes can only be used based on medical advice under special circumstances.
He said a mother’s milk contains all the vitamins needed for the growth of an infant.
Aside from providing the baby with the healthiest option, breastfeeding also creates a deep bond between a mother and child. According to the World Health Organization, almost all mothers can breastfeed successfully — initiating this within the first hour after birth until two years of age. It should only be stopped under special circumstances.
