www.upi.com - November 29th, 2011
In recent years, it had begun to seem as if the United States were joining the rest of the world in championing the wonders of mother's milk.
Following the lead of World Health Organization, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services now endorses exclusive breastfeeding for six months, a time period widely recognized as necessary for long-term disease resistance for both mothers and babies.
The U.S. Surgeon General launched a campaign in January 2011 to reduce the obstacles to breastfeeding.
First Lady Michelle Obama has added breastfeeding to her "Let's Move" project to fight childhood obesity.
The Internal Revenue Service is on board too, ruling in February that breast pumps and other nursing supplies could qualify for tax breaks.
And the health reform law required many employers to provide nursing women on their payrolls with lactation breaks starting in January 2011.
However, the federal program with arguably the greatest practical influence over the nation's infant-feeding practices--the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, better known as WIC--continues to distribute more than half the infant formula sold in the U.S. each year. That formula, which is provided to WIC at a discount, cost taxpayers an estimated $627 million in 2008, the most recent figure available (equivalent to a $2 billion value on the retail market).
And the habits and brand loyalty formed by the WIC rebate system can hook women on paying retail prices for formula once their stipend runs out each month.
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