Day 1: Safeguarding Breastfeeding in the Digital Age
DAY 1 (THURSDAY)
Sub-theme: Safeguarding Breastfeeding in the Digital Age: Protecting Families, Empowering Choices
The digital era has transformed how families receive information—and how they are targeted by commercial interests. On this day, participants will explore how evolving online marketing tactics challenge the International Code, and how Southeast Asia can strengthen digital monitoring and consumer literacy. Together, we will reimagine Code implementation for the age of AI, algorithms, and influencers, ensuring that mothers and families are empowered to make informed decisions free from exploitative marketing.
Full Schedule (Day 1)
Nia Omar
AGENDA: Day 1 (26 Nov 2026)
| Time | Title/Topic | Presenter | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 08:00 – 09:00 | Arrival and registration | |||
| 09:00 – 09:30 | Keynote Speech Reminiscing The History, Progress and Moving Forward For Breastfeeding Protection | Dato Dr Anwar Fazal (Malaysia) | ||
| 09:30 – 10:30 | Opening Ceremony IBFAN's Legacy in Upholding the International Code of Marketing of Breast Milk Substitutes: 20 Years of Progress and Challenges – Speech + 7 min Video Presentation | Nia Umar (Indonesia) | ||
| 10:30 – 10:45 | Morning Break | |||
| 10:45 – 11:30 | Plenary 1 Southeast Asia's Progress and Response: Strengthening Conventional and Digital Surveillance and Regional Enforcement of The Code | Constance Ch’ng (Hong Kong) | ||
| 11:30 – 12:15 | Plenary 2 The Double Burden of Malnutrition: How Ultra-Processed Foods Contribute to Undernutrition and Overweight in Children | Elisabeth Sterken (Canada) | ||
| 12:15 – 13:15 | Lunch Break (Exhibition And Poster Viewing, Booth Visiting And Networking) | |||
| 13:15 – 14:00 | Plenary 3 The Code Re-Imagined: Adapting for The Era of Artificial Intelligence, Algorithms, And Influencers | Lianita Prawindarti (Indonesia) | ||
| 14:00 – 14:15 | Concurrent Sessions 1 | |||
| 14:15 – 15:15 | CS1: When Support Becomes Pressure: Navigating Fear, ‘Perfect Feeding’, and Product Dependency in the Digital Age - How digital marketing exploits maternal fear, guilt, and the promise of ‘perfect feeding’. - From support tools to sales traps: breast pump culture, milk boosters, and the digital medicalization of breastfeeding. | CS2: Hidden in Plain Sight: Products, Influencers, and Conflicts of Interest in the Digital Infant Feeding Landscape - Designated products and emerging products with conflicts of interest in Southeast Asia. - Behind the screen: influencers, health professionals, and hidden conflicts of interest in infant feeding content. | CS3: Unseen and Unstoppable? Navigating Digital Marketing and Exploring AI for Breastfeeding Protection - Embracing the challenges in breastfeeding protection in the era of digitalization: can artificial intelligence be part of the solutions? - Unregulated & unrelenting: how breast milk substitute industries thrive on digital platforms | TBC |
| 15:15-16:15 | Plenary 4 Beyond the Code: Strategic Oversight and Engineering Accountability Within Institutions | TBC | ||
| 16:15 – 17:00 | Plenary 5 Building Consumer Literacy and Resistance to Digital Manipulation | Kim Jai Ok (South Korea) | ||
| 17:00 | End Of Day 1 | |||
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