Paediatricians call on royal college to drop financial ties to infant formula firms

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health is being warned that it risks damaging its reputation if it does not reject income from manufacturers of infant formula milk.

A group of paediatricians has submitted a motion to the college’s annual general meeting on 27 April highlighting the income it receives from manufacturers that have stands at conferences and clinical meetings and the core funding it receives from one manufacturer. The college said that it received income from more than one manufacturer but could not disclose the amounts because of commercial sensitivity.

The paediatricians say that although the college has “progressively distanced” itself from such sponsorship, they warn that receiving any form of funding from manufacturers “will distort public and professional perceptions of the college stance on breast feeding as well as their advice on …