BMS companies

• All BMS companies in India should look at whether they could take steps to exercise more control or influence over online retailers and to pre-empt marketing sites from initiating any promotions or activities that might contravene the IMS Act. 

The Government of India

• While the IMS Act is strong and compliance is relatively good, the Government of India could consider acting to restrict both parallel imports and online sales promotions. It should also monitor the efforts of marketing websites to engage with pregnant woman and mothers and deter them from any activity that contravenes the letter or the spirit of the IMS Act. Further, it should consider whether it should further restrict wording on packages designed to improve saleability.

State Governments

• State Governments may also find it valuable to undertake or commission regular, comprehensive studies of compliance with the IMS Act in their areas especially in states where sales of BMS are increasing and/or where breastfeeding rates are low or falling.

Stakeholders concerned with BMS marketing

• There is ample scope for other organizations to conduct similar monitoring studies in other localities in India, ideally using the IGBM Protocol. ATNF would welcome such studies to draw upon for future Indexes.