NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

The Mexican government has banned free baby formula at hospitals in an effort to encourage breastfeeding.

Health authorities said baby formula would still be available for purchase in shops and could be supplied at a doctor’s request.

But they said the country needed to boost low breastfeeding rates.

Mexico has one of the lowest levels in Latin America. Only one in seven mothers breastfeed exclusively during the baby’s first six months.