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Media Contact:
European Lactation Consultants Alliance (ELACTA)
Email: info@elacta.eu
Website: www.elacta.eu

ELACTA urges EU policymakers to prioritise professional breastfeeding support as a public health safeguard

Bucharest, 25 January 2026 — Recent infant formula recalls linked to contamination concerns have once again drawn attention to a critical public health issue: when food safety systems fail, infants are put at risk. Breastfeeding and human milk feeding remain the safest and most resilient ways to nourish infants, and yet access to professional breastfeeding support across Europe remains insufficient.

In response to these events, the European Lactation Consultants Alliance (ELACTA) is calling on European policymakers to take stronger action to protect, promote, and support breastfeeding by ensuring families have access to qualified, evidence-based lactation care as part of routine healthcare services.

Breastfeeding is a proven public health measure that protects infants from illness and reduces healthcare costs. Yet Europe remains one of the regions with the lowest breastfeeding rates worldwide, largely due to inadequate systemic support for parents.

Human milk offers unique immune protection and nutritional safety that no manufactured product can replicate. At a time when supply chains and food safety are under pressure, breastfeeding provides the safest feeding option for infants.

Breastfeeding success often depends on timely, skilled support. International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLCs) are the globally recognised health professionals trained to help families initiate and sustain breastfeeding safely. Across much of Europe, access to this expertise remains limited, inconsistent, or absent from public healthcare systems.

Parents want to breastfeed, but too often they are left without professional support. This is not a personal failure — it is a policy failure.

Call for European Action

ELACTA calls on the European Commission and EU Member States to take coordinated action to safeguard infant and child health by:

• Recognising breastfeeding and lactation care as essential public health services
• Integrating qualified lactation consultants (IBCLCs) into maternal and child healthcare systems
• Ensuring equitable access to evidence-based breastfeeding support for all families
• Placing infant and child health above commercial interests in infant-feeding policy and regulation

ELACTA stands for the protection and improvement of public health by advancing the profession of the lactation consultant (IBCLC) in Europe. Strengthening breastfeeding support is a cost-effective, evidence-based investment in the health of Europe’s youngest citizens.

As recent events show, infant feeding safety cannot rely on products alone. Europe must invest in what is already proven to work — breastfeeding, supported by professional lactation care.

About ELACTA

The European Lactation Consultants Alliance (ELACTA) represents International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLCs) across Europe. ELACTA works to protect and improve public health by advancing the profession of the lactation consultant, promoting evidence-based breastfeeding care, and advocating for policies that ensure all families have access to qualified lactation support.

For more information or interview requests, please contact

Mihaela Nita MD, IBCLC, PhD

President

Email: president@elacta.eu
Phone: +40 747126541
Website: elacta.eu