The infant milk substitutes feeding bottles and infant foods (regulation of production supply and distribution) Amendment Act 2003. What has changed

Government of India enacted the ‘Infant Milk Substitutes Feeding Bottles and Infant Foods (Regulation of Production Supply and Distribution) Act 1992’ (IMS Act) to regulate production supply and distribution of these products. However despite the Act baby food manufacturers found loopholes to market their products. In 1996 Department of Women and Child Development constituted a multisectorial National Task Force comprising of representatives from various Ministries and Departments of Central Government and Voluntary Agencies authorized under section 21 of the Act to deliberate and suggest amendments to the existing IMS Act. An Amendment Bill of 2002 was presented to the Parliament on March 8 2002. The Law was enacted on 2 June 2003. The Breastfeeding Promotion Network of India(BPNI) and Association for Consumers Action on Safety and Health(ACASH) India the organizations gazetted under the IMS Act section 21-1-C spent time and worked hard to see this through. (excerpt)