sarah from the baby milk action website:

"The World Health Assembly has adopted marketing requirements for baby foods to protect breastfeeding and to ensure breastmilk substitutes are used safely if necessary.

Nestlé is singled out for boycott action as monitoring shows it to be responsible for more violations of the requirements than any other company. The boycott helps to stop some of the specific cases of malpractice we expose and has forced some changes in policy. But Nestlé continues systematic violations in those countries which have not yet brought in independently monitored and enforced legislation implementing the marketing requirements, which is another part of our strategy for protecting infant health and mothers' rights."

I personally will try to not buy Danone products either.

I was reading "The Politics of Breastfeeding" last night and it said Danone also flout WHO advertising regulations when it comes to formula milk. Should we be boycotting them too?

nannynick - also email nestle and tell them of your intentions. Then they will be aware.

I've been doing it for years...would have loved one last kitkat ah well!

There is some material in Gabrielle Palmer's book about how the Church of England backed the campaign at one point and then was persuaded that Nestle had cleaned up their act or something, and not to any more. The boycott clearly affects them, but Nestle must still be making more money from unethical practices than it loses from the boycott, sadly.

I think it's useful to boycott what you know about/what you can from Nestle. Unfortunately dp still buys Kitkats and other Nestle branded sweets, and I fear most of our catfood is from one of Nestle's brands which doesn't say Nestle on the packaging.

There was a piece a little while ago from Nestle admitting the boycott hurts them.

Good show, I say.

And brilliant, MN

nannynick even more reason that an influential site like mn that reaches many thousands of parents promotes the boycott. The more people who dont buy some/any Nestle products, the better. Other things you can do are lobby your MP and MEP for change and report advertising breaches to the Advertising Standards Authority.

treedelivery that is a typical example . Other advertising is more subtle but just as damaging ie "when breastfeeding fails, use X".

I explained the boycott to my brother recently, outlining the formula companies' tactics. He said it was no different to arms dealing where the trade results in death. I think the formula companies are worse because the people dying in this instance are the most vulnerable in the world. It's worth fighting that whatever the odds.

Even if you just boycott Nescafe (and maybe try something more ethical like cafe direct instead?) then this is one of their leading brands and if enough people do it then there will be a £ impact.

Yay Musnet. I think a small piece detailing why this is an issue for all those who have an interest in the well being of humanity would be a good thing. Save on...er....misunderstandings.

When in Peru in 2001, I saw a huge mural painted on the side of a doctors surgery. Common practice as part of health education, and an attempt to reach those with reading difficulties. It had pics charting the growth of the baby in utero, and the resulting huge plump white baby feeding from a bottle with the leading formula brand written on the bottle.
I felt the message was clear. Look to Europe and the USA, see how plump and happy their white bottle fed babies are.



Clearly, there is a role for formula milk. I support anyone and their right to choose. I found that mural highly manipulative.

Can I ask a question? Does the Nestle Boycott actually work? I've heard about it for many years, even tried doing it for a while, but found it next to impossible.

Supermarket Own Brands may be made by Nestle - for example Cereals. Supermarkets won't tell you who makes their own brand products... so if you support the Nestle boycott, then you can't buy any Own Brand items either... as they MAY be made by Nestle.

Surely a few hundred, or even few thousand consumers not buying their products has little effect on a giant manufacturer like Nestle. Is boycotting their products really that effective?

utterly horrendous, how can these Nestle execs sleep at night?

What utter bastards

I mean, why have a cartoon of a 'breastfeeding' bear on a pack of coffee creamer? Why???

hayfever -do you mean Babymilkaction or Nestle? here's a recent example of the latter. BMA are also still v much active.

and thanks mumsnet for publicity for this ever important issue

yeah i stiil boycott them even tho the issue isnt publicised much any more
are they still at it ?

mags98 I am sure Nestle are hoping lots of people think like that.

I think that's even more reason to promote the boycott on mn. The difference will come from more people knowing about it and acting on it.

grendle that's a great idea. Before I read that book by Gabrielle Palmer I thought the boycott had ended years ago and I didnt really know why we were supposed to boycott Nestle. Now I know I am horrified by their actions and want as many people as possible to hear all about it. Mn is an influential site so they could really help to spread the word.

Does anyone think this will really make the slightest difference though?

There has been a boycott for years - I remember it being a big issue when I was as school, so that is at least 22 years, and it doesn't seem to have had any effect over that time.

Really pleased to read this.
Grendle - that's a good idea, my vote added

Ooo yes, I agree with Tiktok about informing people. How about a nice little piece to accompany the appearance of the logo explaining about the boycott and dispelling any myths about it being anti-formula feeding in general?

Nice work Sambo.

And thanks to Justine.

I think it's great the logo will appear on mumsnet.

It's a good way of informing people of what the boycott actually is.

Wonderful, another hooray from me!

I'd second sambo's recommendation about The Politics of Breastfeeding. A superb book.

Hoorah for Justine here too

(and I herd you on the radio the other morning, you were very good in the bit I heard, before my children forced me to interact with them leave the radio; you always sound so calm and reasonable and lovely)

I'm reading that now. It's very good so far...

fantastic Justine thank you so much

I took the liberty of emailing Baby Milk Action to tell them the good news last night cos I was so excited

christiana I'd recommend Gabrielle Palmers book "The Politics of Breastfeeding: When Breasts are Bad for Business" for an indepth analysis of the issue of the inappropriate marketing of artificial milks for babies around the world. A real eye opener.

The boycott is not just about ff either.

Nestle have questionable working practices in it's treatment of employees and chocolate production is another dodgy area too.

Hooray and Hurrah! That's great news

no probs..I have never been able to spell hooray (think I do an mix of hurrah and horray iyswim)

anyway...justine from mumsnet has agreed to advertise the boycott ...

I used to volunteer for them and they run on very limited funds the staff were on a serious pitance and given they ran from Cambridge they were pretty amazing people.

Sorry Noonki - wasn't meaning to correct your spelling, was just wondering what was being celebrated....have Mumsnet agreed to back the boycott?

thanks sarah spelling never been a strong point!

I've been boycotting them for years and apparently very few people still have even heard of the issue.

Or completely don't understand it and few it as a ff/bf arguement which it isnt in the slightest.

Hooray?

Hurray Justine!!!

OK I will read the sites thoroughly!

If one is pursuing the hygiene aspect, ready made cartons still doesn't change the fact that bottles need sterilizing with safe, clean water.

Quite aside from breaching international advertising standards

Yep, great idea. Thank you v v much Justine for looking into getting it onto MN

As everyone else says, the Nestle boycott is absolutely not 'anti-formula'.

In fact it is for the benefit of all babies - it is in everyone's best interests to have formula marketed in the most ethical way possible and to have information disseminated to all parents rather than advertising.

The parents and babies in developing countries, with all the issues that sambo has highlighted, deserve better than to have formula aggressively and illegally marketed to them, undermining BF rates in places where BF is absolutely crucial to babies' survival. In the developed world we are lucky enough to have clean water, relatively cheap fuel, and free healthcare, which mean the risks are far fewer. There are places where this really is a matter of life and death.

christiana, it's help you to look at the websites - IBFAN and Baby Milk Action. There is no objection to women using formula; there are women who have no choice, and women whose life circumstances make it an inevitability; and women who for whatever reason use it.

Its sale and availability do not need to be restricted - people who need formula should be able to buy it (poor people will not be able to afford carton milk, and in any case, bottles and teats still have to be cleaned adequately).

The issue is marketing, which can be done ethically, or unethically. Fortunately there is an international Code ('the WHO Code') which has been in use since 1981, and which is some countries is law.

This helps to ensure formula is not promoted in a way which undermines breastfeeding, and which ensures safe use of formula. Some of the points in the Code relate to the use of languages on the packs, for instance, and it prevents manufacturers from making spurious claims.

sorry, I must have misunderstood.
What I meant to say was that there are situations where women can't breastfeed there which have to be understood.

There are risks of making up formula. Therefore if you make it easier to make up formula, then you are promoting it surely? Say, by selling cartons of ready made formula? Or where do you stand on that?

but it's not about breast is best or being anti formula feeding, it;s about the ethics of how formula was and is promoted .

Re the bottle in the Mumsnet logo. If you look closely, you'll see it's Hunkermunker en route to the bin with the bottle having just whipped it from that baby's raised right arm.

The problem is that there are many other reasons why women can't breastfeed. In Kenya, where I lived, often the situation is that the mother has to work and is unable to take her child with her, leaving her child to be cared for and fed by someone else in the family.

Are the statistics viewed from that angle? I think that you have to be quite careful here. Even in the third world people ARE aware that breastfeeding is best.

Also, often children will just be fed cow's milk instead of formula, which is obviously not great. My DH was fed cow's milk from three months of age.

When I brought up my DD in Kenya I wanted to BF and was lucky I could - I certainly understand the issues with water. We were lucky enough to be able to afford bowser water to bathe her in (our 'mains' water was unsafe to bathe children in), but it was hard to get hold of distilled water if we did ever want to give her formula.

I formula fed my DCs and totally support the boycott. would be great for the power of MN to get behind it

www.babymilkaction.org/pages/products.html here is a list of nestlé products

Body Shop

christiana - in many, many countries of the world, formula is marketed unethically. You may not have been in countries where it happened or where it was obvious. Sometimes, the marketing is done to healthcare professionals; sometimes it is direct to mothers.

You can read more about the situation at IBFAN www.ibfan.org/site2005/Pages/index2.php?iui=1

Yep sure thing and good idea - we'll get it up soonest.

What would help is a comprehensive list of all Nestle products...

sambo when i lived in third world I saw absolutely no marketing of formula by any company. Where are they doing this marketing?

Would be good if MN put it on the site, so am bumping this thread FAO MN HQ!

reading the site and the guardian article on bangladesh is so depressing, the poor Mum's and their babies. Is not like here where you can afford it or get milk vouchers for formula, is really awful how much it costs them and then they end up with very ill babies when they are only to do what they think is better because of the advertising.

Oh thanks Sambo, my goodness they sound like the big drug companies who have a manopoly over the drugs industry so that people in poorer countries have to pay for the more expensive drugs instead of being allowed to use the cheaper generic drugs. I just thought that Nestle boycotting was about anti formula feeding, i did not realise they operate in this way, taking advantage of people in poorer countries. I ff my child not out of choice but because my body was not doing what it should, and know that formula has to be made with sterile water using sterile bottles etc which is hard in third world countries.

reallytired you have highlighted that the boycott needs more high profile advertising on eg MN. Do you think it's promoting bf over ff? That's incorrect.

Nestle (and other formula manufacturers) agressively promote their formula to new mothers and health professionals in countries where:

there is limited access to clean drinking water needed to make up formula

there is limited access to electricity meaning that more work is required to light fires and keep them going to heat water to kill pathogens to make the formula/no electric lights in the night to make up feeds

there is limited access to doctors and medicines for babies that become ill through drinking formula contaminated by water not being boiled before making formula

there is limited access to sanitary conditions for making formula

labels stating important safety info and how to make feeds are in English, not translated

the cost of formula can mean other family members go hungry

Nestle do these things to make a profit, they know babies will die because of their marketing.

These are facts. I am sure mums in the UK do care about this however they feed their own baby.

thanks tiktok it's a bit worrying when the Nestle Boycott starts being seen as bf supporting rather than what it is, fighting against underhand marketing ploys worldwide. I would have thought all mums care about the health of all babies however they are fed.

You could always ask, sambo.

Reallytired, Nestle boycott is nothing to do with bottle feeding...or only tangentially. It's to do with supporting the ethical marketing of formula, which all parents (and all people!) can understand, however their own children were/are fed. People who use formula, for whatever reason, can still care about how the stuff they and others buy is marketed, surely?

I doult that they will. There is a bottle in the mumsnet logo.

Also mumsnet isn't a breastfeeding site. Its for all mums.

To MN HQ

Baby Milk Action has created a logo for adding to websites here

Would MN consider adding this logo to this website? Nestle are still breaking international advertising standards and causing the deaths of infants around the world.