In 2017, Thailand tried to stop the aggressive advertising for baby formulas and toddler milks, as officials wanted to instead encourage breastfeeding. But with the help of the US government, formula manufacturers like Mead Johnson and Abbott fought back. As a result, more than 1 in 10 Thai children under 5 now struggle with malnutrition and obesity. In this infuriating investigation, Heather Vogell reveals how the US government has worked with billion-dollar corporations over the decades to thwart efforts from 17 jurisdictions around the world, many of them developing countries, to restrict formula marketing.
The next year, Sumet and Jintana celebrated the birth of their second child, Gustun. As she had with her firstborn, Jintana breastfed Gustun until he was 3 months old, then started him on formula so she could go back to work.
The couple diligently followed the “stages” prescribed by Dumex, which came in a cheery red package: Stage 1 formula when Gustun was an infant, Stage 2 when he was an older baby and Stage 3 when he became a toddler. He craved formula, and his parents, believing it was healthy, always gave him more. By the time he was 3, he reached his peak weight of about 66 pounds — the same as an average 9-year-old. He was drinking six or seven bottles a day, each holding about 12 ounces of toddler milk.
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