The NCT (that’s National Childbirth Trust, not Nottingham City Transport), has objected to questions appearing in science exams on the grounds that they present biased information about breastfeeding.
The GCSE question presents a label for a fictional packet of infant formula milk, called ‘My Baby Food’ as the basis for a question about calcium carbonate. It then goes on to other issues relating to formula milk. On several counts the information presented on this label is misleading, incorrect, and in contravention of UK regulations. For example, it claims the milk is ‘pure and natural’ and makes claims about the nutritional value of the product which are not permitted in UK advertising.
The question then goes on to put forward several biased arguments, presented as ‘information’, including a claim that without free formula milk babies in the developing world might die of malnutrition. This contradicts research estimating that around 1.45 million children die every year through lack of breastfeeding, mainly as a result of unsafe bottle feeding, as well as the UNICEF and WHO guidance on the risks of formula use in developing countries and in disasters.
Charities working to support mothers who want to breastfeed are also negatively caricatured in the question, in the guise of ‘Mrs I M Right’, founder of fictional organisation ‘Responsible Mothers Are Us’.
Her extreme views are framed by a reference to the fact that she has ‘made a career in ‘goodness’ and is paid from donations given to RMAU by members of the public’. The marking criteria for this paper only judges a student’s ability to interpret and accept the information presented, with no room to critique or dispute the claims.
In another example, an SAT paper used in Key Stage 3 again demonstrates bias towards formula milk over breastmilk, claiming fair comparisons between the two when in fact the information is presented without crucial context.
You can read more here.