The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has called for stronger measures to protect, promote, and support breastfeeding in Ghana. This directive comes as the nation joins the global community to commemorate World Breastfeeding Week 2026.
The FDA emphasized that sustained investment in interventions with measurable impact is necessary to maintain progress and address emerging challenges affecting breastfeeding practices. This year's observance, themed “Breastfeeding for a Sustainable Start in Life: Strengthen What Works,” urges governments, healthcare professionals, employers, families, communities, and development partners to reinforce effective policies and programs.
Breastfeeding remains one of the most effective and cost-efficient public health interventions for improving child survival, nutrition, and development. It provides infants with necessary nutrients during the first six months of life and protects them against diarrhoeal diseases, respiratory infections, and childhood obesity. The practice also contributes to healthy growth, cognitive development, and long-term well-being when continued alongside appropriate complementary feeding up to two years and beyond.
The benefits of breastfeeding extend beyond children, offering significant health advantages for mothers. Breastfeeding can reduce the risk of breast and ovarian cancers, support recovery after childbirth, and strengthen the emotional bond between mothers and their children. Furthermore, the FDA linked breastfeeding to environmental sustainability, describing breast milk as a natural, renewable source of infant nutrition that requires no manufacturing, packaging, or transportation. Promoting breastfeeding can therefore contribute to reducing environmental waste and supporting more sustainable food systems.
Despite progress in Ghana's breastfeeding practices following years of public health interventions, several challenges continue to affect efforts to achieve optimal breastfeeding. These include aggressive marketing of breastmilk substitutes, changing lifestyles, workplace constraints, misinformation, and inadequate support from families and communities. The FDA remains committed to protecting breastfeeding through the implementation and enforcement of the Breastfeeding Promotion Regulation, 2000 (L.I. 1667), which regulates the marketing and distribution of breastmilk substitutes in Ghana.
The Authority will continue to monitor compliance, conduct market surveillance, educate stakeholders, and work with partners to ensure mothers have access to accurate and evidence-based information on infant feeding. As part of the 2026 commemoration, the FDA will collaborate with the Ministry of Health, Ghana Health Service, Ubora Quality Institute, the media, and other stakeholders on nationwide public education and regulatory enforcement. The campaign will also highlight innovations such as breastmilk banks, which have been established in some hospitals to make donated breast milk available to babies who need it. The FDA urges health facilities to establish more breastmilk banks to improve access for infants.
The FDA calls on mothers and caregivers to initiate breastfeeding within the first hour after birth, practice exclusive breastfeeding during the first six months, and continue breastfeeding alongside appropriate complementary feeding up to two years or beyond. Government institutions are urged to continue investing in policies and programs that protect and support breastfeeding. Employers are encouraged to establish breastfeeding-friendly workplaces by providing flexible working arrangements, nursing breaks, and safe, hygienic spaces for mothers. Healthcare professionals are expected to provide consistent, evidence-based counseling and support to mothers during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postnatal period. Families and communities must provide emotional, practical, and social support. The media has a responsibility to provide accurate information, counter misinformation, and promote positive messages about breastfeeding. Manufacturers, importers, and distributors of breastmilk substitutes are urged to comply with L.I. 1667 and adhere to ethical marketing practices. The FDA maintains that protecting breastfeeding is a shared responsibility requiring coordinated action across society, ensuring children have a better opportunity to thrive.