Amazon.com has issued a public apology following a recent incident.

Last Friday, July 3, 2026, Rachael Bews, the co-founder and CEO of marketing firm Nu Coton, was informed she could not attend a business course at an Amazon.com (AMZN) fulfillment center in Dunfermline, Scotland, with her five-month-old breastfeeding infant. The reason cited was a company health and safety policy prohibiting children under six from entering the facility.

Ms. Bews had notified Amazon.com a week prior that she would need to bring her baby, planning for her husband to care for the child elsewhere on the premises. Her intention was to leave the course only when necessary to breastfeed, not to take the infant inside the fulfillment center. However, she received the call from Amazon.com only after she had already embarked on her journey, having spent nearly £80 on train tickets and made arrangements for her other children and pets.

In a post on LinkedIn, Ms. Bews described feeling upset and angry on the spot, brought to tears. She expressed full understanding of health and safety rules in industrial settings, but the practical outcome was that, unable to find a feasible way to breastfeed during the course, she was forced to miss the first day. Although the remainder of the course could be completed online, she felt she missed out on crucial in-person networking opportunities.

An Amazon.com spokesperson stated in the apology that the company offers paid lactation breaks, flexible scheduling, and dedicated nursing rooms for employees. However, a longstanding health and safety policy prohibits children under six from entering fulfillment centers. The spokesperson acknowledged it was the company's failure to clearly communicate the venue policy to Ms. Bews in advance, for which they deeply apologized. Amazon.com has invited her to future events and is reviewing its communication processes to prevent a recurrence.

Ms. Bews has called for more organizations to fully consider the practical needs of breastfeeding mothers when planning business programs, arguing that opportunities should not become out of reach simply because someone needs to feed an infant.