Closing gaps in South Africa for World Breastfeeding Week

World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated every year from August 1 to 7. In 2024, the theme is: “Closing the Gap: Breastfeeding Support for All.”

Association for Dietetics in South Africa spokesperson Prof Lisanne du Plessis, a leading academic from Stellenbosch University focused on public health and community nutrition, shares key components in South Africa.

Support for women to breastfeed any time, anywhere, so it is normalised and not censured

“The barriers to breastfeeding are not cultural issues but societal. This includes unsupportive workplaces and public spaces, lack of or poorly implemented maternity protection policies, ignorance about correct breastfeeding practices, lack of access to lactation support and social perceptions about women’s roles.

“Mothers need to be supported to nourish and nurture their babies; and their partners, own mothers, mothers-in-law, grandmothers and the broader family and community should be educated on how to support breastfeeding mothers and about the dangers of introducing commercial milk formula.”

Effective maternity entitlements that do not force women to choose between their families and their work

“For South Africa, the changes I would advocate include a breastfeeding policy in every workplace. This can ensure the necessary sensitisation is created about mothers’ needs and employers’ human resource obligations. 

“Provision of a private, hygienic space to breastfeed or express and the resources to safely store breastmilk are essential in every workplace. The provision of educational material or access to a professional breastfeeding consultant can create support for mothers to ensure continued breastfeeding once they have returned to work.”

An end to exploitive commercial baby milk promotions

“The Lancet Series on Breastfeeding of 2023 shows commercial milk formula companies use perverse and exploitive marketing and promotional methods to drive the demand for their products. These tactics continue to undermine breastfeeding and contribute to millions of women not breastfeeding as recommended, which results in infant and young child illness and death.

“The Global Nutrition Report of 2018 stated that just 35 of 194 countries have laws to cover all areas of commercial infant formula, while a further 96 are partially covered. Despite some efforts to stop the harmful promotion of commercial milk formula, countries are still falling short in protecting parents from misleading information.”