Shame On You Nestle!!

If you have been paying attention over the last few months you know there has been a lot of talk about Nestle and the WHO (World Health Organization) code. You may even know that millions of people boycott Nestle because of their violation of the WHO code. And those who feel unable to boycott them permanently did boycott them during the last week of October (you know Halloween week) in an attempt to tell Nestle that we do not approve of their violation.

In case you do not know the WHO code violation has to do with breast milk substitues (formula). The code, among other things, calls for no advertising in third world countries. It calls for not actively seeking clientele from women in places where the water may be contaminated. In places where women will not have money to continue buying your product and may wind up watering down the product or just giving their baby regular cow's milk when they run out and their breast milk has dried up.

I will admit to you that I did not really get what the big deal was. I mean yeah I understand what the code was for and that Nestle was violating it but I was unsure as to why people were SO worked up about it. And then I got off the plane in Ethiopia and saw a huge Nestle formula (NAN) advertisement. And my heart stopped. Unfortunately, I was unable to get a picture of it due to the angle. But I was so mad!! These people have so little money, the last thing they should be spending it on is formula. They cannot afford it - especially when you factor in that they will need to buy water as well since the water supply is contaminated.

When I went to the grocery store I noticed that Nestle was the only American formula company in Ethiopia. There is one Ethiopian brand and that is it. Enfamil, Similac, etc are not there. And what is worse and made me even more angry with Nestle is that they do not even have the Nestle Good Start formula over there. They have NAN - which is their older, not as good version. It is not ARA and DHA fortified. I am not sure but I think NAN may no longer meet the FDA standards for formula. But, ya know, the people of Ethiopia have no FDA to tell them it is not okay. They do not know that the formula here in America has extra vitamins, etc to keep the baby healthier. They just know that it is made by Nestle (you can clearly see Nestle on the label) and since Nestle is an American company it is atractive. Being American it must be the best. Being American it must be desireable. And anyone who can should buy it. They do not know that it is a subpar version of the formula. And I wonder if they even know all the research on how much better breast milk is.

Personally, I am disgusted with Nestle. Advertising in Ethiopia. Giving samples to anyone who delivers in the hospital (plenty of people in Ethiopia deliver at home). And not even using their best formula. I am enraged and disgusted. I do not want to give them my money. Someone else must make decent chocolate chips (the one product of theirs I will really miss).
Posted on 12/08/2009 Labels:

31 Comments:

  1. I love the guittard chocolate chips. They're a little more expensive, but worth it. I also believe that hershey's makes some too.
    ReplyDelete
  2. I have to tell you, I'm disheartened by our OWN hospitals that push formula when you're in the hospital. It's one thing if you request it, but they AUTOMATICALLY bring it to you and just tell you to give the baby formula instead of working with you to breastfeed. But I agree with your post.
    ReplyDelete
  3. best chocolate chips you can get at a walmart- forgive my spelling- giardhelli.
    i thought nestle was a swiss company though. i mean, they are pretty gigantic, being the number 1 food company in the world, and operate just about everywhere, owning lots of US brands and production facilities, but now i have to go look it up again.
    sadly, i'm not surprised that they're not only promoting formula, but a lesser one, at that.
    so thankful that you're feeding little sister breast milk.
    ReplyDelete
  5. Upstatemom: That is just awful. I'll be posting a link to this on my blog later today.

    Slee: You are right. Nestle is a Swiss company.

    Nikki: Yes. That is awful too. However, Nestle doesn't even pretend to comply with the WHO Code in developed countries like the US, Canada, Australia, etc. However, it does claim to comply with the WHO Code in developing countries. But they lie.
    ReplyDelete
  6. Here's why else it is a big deal: whenever a new formula advertising campaign runs in the U.S., breastfeeding rates go down. When the government launched their "Babies were born to be breastfed" campaign, formula lobbyists succeeded in getting the message diluted and made ineffective . . . and then doubled their own advertising budget. 60% of moms are not reaching their own breastfeeding goals because they are being undermined by the formula industry pushing formula through hospitals and doctor's offices, and those that miraculously do manage to breastfeed, are struggling and suffering pain far more than necessary because of these "booby traps". All formula advertising should stop. Great job on the post!
    ReplyDelete
  7. Thanks for the post. I am so glad that I have breastfed all of my kids and not gotten caught in the loop. But I do think it is funny that the hospitals have always sent me home with prepared formula with each kid even though I have exclusively breastfed my babies even in the hospital.
    ReplyDelete
  9. Wow that you got to see this first hand. Also, I meant to comment the other day on your pic of Little Sister. Will do so now! :)

    Steph
    ReplyDelete
  10. Kelly-that is EXACTLY what I was going to say!
    I think all hospitals give out the free diaper bags provided by the formula companies. We received two from Similac, given by the hospital. Both bags had prepared formula and one use nipples in them. Yet, I had to ask the lactation consultant for soothies, lansinoh cream and breast pads. I'm one of the lucky ones and the nurses at the hospital encouraged my breastfeeding. They never offered me formula or a bottle for my baby. I know others aren't so lucky and are encouraged to bottle feed before even giving breastfeeding a shot.

    I can't believe such a large company would stoop to such levels! How horrible!

    Kudos to you for working so hard to make sure that LS has exactly what she needs!

    Now...I wanna see pictures of the kids together!!!! :)
    ReplyDelete
  12. Ummm...I don't mean to be rude, but formula is a HUGE need in Ethiopia and all of Africa due to HIV/AIDS. This is the ONLY way an HIV+ mother can feed her HIV- child without spreading the virus. Where is the shame in that?!
    ReplyDelete
  13. Martin and Kendell:

    Are you aware of the recent change in WHO recommendations regarding HIV positive mothers and breastfeeding?

    http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/713121

    Quote: " * To lower the risk for HIV transmission and improve infant survival, WHO now recommends that breast-feeding continue until 12 months of age, as long as the HIV-positive mother or infant is taking ARVs during the breast-feeding period. Two alternative options for HIV-positive women who breast-feed and are not taking ART are as follows: for a woman who received AZT during pregnancy, daily nevirapine is recommended for the child from birth until breast-feeding is complete; or for a woman who received a 3-drug regimen during pregnancy, the regimen should be continued until breast-feeding is complete.

    "In the new recommendations, we are sending a clear message that breast-feeding is a good option for every baby, even those with HIV-positive mothers, when they have access to ARVs," said Daisy Mafubelu, WHO's assistant director-general for family and community health."
    ReplyDelete
  14. I agree with Martin and Kendell. So mothers in Africa who NEED to formula feed their babies shouldn't be allowed the same freedom as mothers everywhere else, to purchase formula from store shelves based on their own judgment? Or are we suggesting that they lack the judgment of American moms? On the flip side, should breastfeeding be heavily encouraged when an HIV-positive mom could infect her baby that way? I'm glad that mothers in Africa who *do* need formula have a reliable brand to turn to.

    As for the hospital freebies that so many people love to hate...I actually made good use of mine. I threw away the small formula samples that I wouldn't use, I referred constantly to the wonderful booklet that was a lengthy excerpt from "The Nursing Mothers Companion", provided by Enfamil. I still have and use all of the ice packs. I gave away the diaper bags for free at a garage sale.
    ReplyDelete
  15. Martin and Kendell,

    Adding to what Claire and Boys said te other thing is that even in the absence of meds it can still be advisable to breastfeed when the water supply is contaminated, as it is in Ethiopia. And when the mother may not have enough money to continue purchasing the formula, as can be the case in Ethiopia.

    Additionally, it is not the fact that they have formula there - that is fine with me and in compliance with the WHO code. It is the fact that #1 they advertise it (that is against the WHO code), #2 they give out samples in the hospital (again against the WHO code - since they give it to all women regardless of HIV status - my assumption is giving it to HIV+ mothers would not be against the code) and #3 it is not even the higher quality stuff they make and sell in developed countries (this may not be against the code but it is actually the thing that bothered me the most). That is what I see as wrong with Nestle and why I am fairly disgusted with the company.
    ReplyDelete
  16. Yes, the issue is not that women sometimes need formula in the Third World just as they do in the West. The issue is the MARKETING of said formula. To women that need it, formula can be lifesaving. But it is inethical to push it on mothers, to advertise it as "protecting" from diarrhea, and to imply that it is somehow superior to breastmilk.

    Have you ever seen "Formula for Disaster"? Very eye opening documentary on formula marketing in the Phillippines, where again, mothers often do not have access to clean water, yet formula companies still violate WHO codes on marketing again and again.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNYDPKQOVUE
    ReplyDelete
  17. I recognize that there are 2 sides to this issue for sure, but for me, the bigger problem is that Africa gets the lowest quality of WHATEVER the rest of the world has to offer. The larger issue is that the rest of the "first" world needs to let go of their superiority, white privilege, and greed, and get Africa ALL of what they need. This includes GOOD formula, clean water, the latest vaccines (oral Polio, anyone?), family planning information, condoms, and ARVs for ALL people who need them.

    So yeah, Nestle's a problem. But let's not let Big Pharma off the hook here either. My son's father died of Malaria. He could have been treated with $10 worth of medicine that simply wasn't made available to him. Oh, and let's not forget to thank the Catholic Church for telling Africans that using condoms is a sin, thereby furthering the global HIV/AIDS pandemic.

    Believe me, I am a HUGE proponent of breastfeeding, and breastfed my bio boys for a year and a half each. In a perfect world, all mothers would be able to breastfeed, but that's just not possible. At least until we take care of more pressing human (rights) issues.

    *off my soapbox*
    ReplyDelete
  18. Jen,

    Very well said!! I completely agree. Like I said before it is the lower level formula that really got me. And I do feel the advertising is over the top. But yes you are correct there are so many other things that they need in Africa that they do not get. It is sad.
    ReplyDelete
  19. Here is some interesting history on the Nestle' boycott. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nestl%C3%A9_boycott
    Although the HIV issue is valid, they've been undermining breastfeeding longer than HIV has been around and even today there is no need to actively promote formula feeding as if it were the FIRST choice. Glad you are out there sharing!
    ReplyDelete
  20. That video Claire and Boys recommends - Nestle is also in that. Once again promoting formula over breast milk. And still a lesser version than the one we have here in the US. UGH!!!!
    ReplyDelete
  21. Responding to what Claire said. That WHO recommendation is fine, but very few women in Ethiopia who are HIV+ are on ARV's so they shouldn't be breastfeeding their babies. It would be great if they were on ARVs, but that is just not the reality in Ethiopia.
    ReplyDelete
  22. If you had HIV, even if you were ON meds, you would still breastfeed your baby? Really?

    I don't think I'd want to chance it. But that's just me.
    ReplyDelete
  23. TeamOSM,

    Actually, in America and other first world countries it is not recommended. However, in Ethiopia and other third world countries where the water supply is contaminated and such it is recommended. That is how powerful breast milk is - even with HIV in certain situations it is better than formula. I was shocked when I first read that too.
    ReplyDelete
  24. Errm.. sorry to burst your comfort bubble but there are far worse despicable things going on.

    If I were to ask you, where and on what do you think your tax money is spent in Africa ? I am sure you will not have a clue. It is a known fact by legislation it is dictated any food aid procured by USAID should be sourced from US Agro industry and transported using US shipping lanes.
    http://fex.ennonline.net/17/influence.aspx
    Which gobbles 3/4th of the allocated aid fund. This also creates a powerful lobby for Agro industry and shipping lanes who have vested interest to increase volume of business in an already captured market. If you combine both, you get a very odd situation, where Ethiopia is being fed maize shipped from Iowa, while it is being coxed to grow flowers and biofuel plants leaving it at the mercy of more food aid.
    http://ecoworldly.com/2008/11/24/biofuels-push-ethiopian-farmers-to-food-aid/
    Ethiopia has only 10% arable land, but to make things worse it is leasing 3 million hectares to the likes of China, India and Saudi Arabia presumably on the advice of WB/ IMF etc.

    Have you asked why Ethiopia got more than $4billion in aid in 2009 and still half of its population starving ?
    Well I can give you many examples, but I will give you one.

    If you have followed the airline business market, the bottom is falling, massive cancellations of new aircraft orders by the likes of China, oil rich kingdoms, even the flagship BA is asking its employees to work for free for a month, yet in the middle of all the food crisis, Ethiopian government owned airline just ordered 10, 787 Dreamliner jets valued at $1.3billion. for over 50 years Ethiopia only bought Boeing now UK has thrown so much aid money it is third highest donor after WB and US. Ethiopia is also ordering for the first time 12, A350 Airbuses valued at $2.8billion.

    http://www.centreforaviation.com/news/2009/01/09/boeing-and-airbus-face-mass-aircraft-deferrals-and-cancellations/
    http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/transport/article6510479.ece
    ReplyDelete
  25. simon- yes there may be worse things to you going on....but that is NOT the topic HERE. That is for another post on another blog.

    Sad, just sad. Great enlightening post!
    ReplyDelete
  26. Great post.

    And while breastfeeding your child while infected with HIV/AIDS does present the chance that you might pass the virus on to your child, you have to remember as well that because the water they use is contaminated, the babies have more of a chance of dying from being fed formula with this contaminated water than from contracting HIV through the mother's milk. So, if you were a mother with HIV and you knew that your child had a MUCH higher risk of dying from drinking formula made with contaminated water than she had of getting HIV from your breastmilk, would you really take your chances with the formula? I think I'd take mine with breastfeeding.
    ReplyDelete
  27. Unfortunately this is not only going on in Africa, it is also happening in South East Asia as well.
    http://blacktating.blogspot.com/2009/12/does-anyone-still-believe-nestle.html

    As far as the HIV positive recommendation, people should understand that when mothers take antiretrovirals, the chance of spreading HIV to their babies through breast milk is small. Your baby is much more likely to die from diarrhea from being fed formula made with contaminated water than from breast milk if mom is taking her ARVs.
    ReplyDelete
  28. That is so, so disheartening. I knew that Nestle's formula marketing practices were suspect, but this is just awful. I've been boycotting the company for a number of years, and seeing this just strengthens my resolve.

    Some families use formula, and I get that. There's no judgment here. But it shouldn't be aggressively marketed or presented as the default or best choice, particularly in a country where there are safety issues. And definitely not substandard formula at that.
    ReplyDelete
  29. For what I think is the most comprehensive information on Nestle's corporate practices relating to infant formula, please see Baby Milk Action http://www.babymilkaction.org/ There are issues being discussed in this post and the comments that should probably be discussed separately. Nestle is definitely not the only WHO Code violator. The WHO Code does not only concern marketing in places where access to clean water is limited. Nestle is boycotted not only because it is a WHO Code violator but also because of immoral and unlawful business practices, as well as deception concerning those practices. Let's not forget the use of child slaves to pick cocoa beans.

    HIV/AIDS is a world-wide problem. It is not known how great the risk of mother to child transmission of HIV is via breastmilk. Mother to child transmission is far more likely to have occurred in utero in which case being fed formula could damage the child's immune system sufficiently to *increase* the risk of seroconversion and of death. Were I HIV+ and had access to ARVs, I would most definitely breastfeed.
    ReplyDelete
  30. I too agree with Jen its sad....but that's all ill say on the subject
    ReplyDelete
  31. I really don't know enough on this subject (but I am going to read up on it now) to make an educated comment. But, I have to say what a great discussion going on here in the comments.
    ReplyDelete

Thanks for your kind words! I love hearing from you.

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)