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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To politely suggest to the Nursery that they shouldn't be using Nestle products?

288 replies

zimm · 19/10/2011 10:03

DD's otherwise excellent nursery serves some nestle branded cereals. This doesn't sit well with me as I don't think a place that cares for children should support Nestle. I imagine it just hasn't crossed their minds but it does bug me that her fess are used to buy products from Nestle. WIBU to take in some baby milk action stuff and make a suggestion they switch products? Yes I know they are are bigger things to worry about but I do believe if a nestle boycott is worth doing, then it is worth doing right.

OP posts:
KatieMortician · 20/10/2011 17:42

Do you really think that? Do you think the founders of Mumsnet worry about that? You know they boycott Nestle don't you? See www.mumsnet.com/info/aboutus

There's really no need for any parent to know unless asked. It's not like Nestle are the only supplier of breakfast cereals or pasta sauce or any other product (with the exception perhaps of Kit Kats but no child needs Kit Kats). Boycotting doesn't need to be a big production - just a few simple things like buying a different brand of coffee for the staff room.

I think you'd have to be pretty thick insecure to think a business's decison about what supplier they use is a personal slur on your choices as a parent. Businesses make decisions for much less arbitrary reasons and nobody is bothered.

I accept my views may be clouded by an 8 month waiting list for nursery places round my way.

madhairday · 20/10/2011 17:43

Read the thread spiderpig

The boycott has made a difference in the developing world and the lives of families and tiny babies over the years because nestle has had to conform to some extent (not enough) to WHo guidelines. How you can think even one baby's life is not worth anything is a mystery to me.

KatieMortician · 20/10/2011 17:43

Sorry I was too slow. i was replying to screamingbohemian.

Andrewofgg · 20/10/2011 17:53

shagmundfreud

Boycotting anything or anybody has no moral value unless it is the free and voluntary act of individuals - or households at the highest - undertaken without pressure from governments, local councils, neighbours, work colleagues, unions, or even customers.

That's what I said upthread and I stand by it.If OP's nursery can buy other products and the children don't notice or the parents don't mind, fine, I'm not going to get excited about it; because it doesn't matter.

I am concerned if HVs are deliberately not recommending Nestle for political reasons.

I know midwives and HVs prefer to regard all formula as second best and indistinguishable, but what do they do when faced with a case where bf is starkly impossible? I mentioned on another thread a friend of DS brought up by his father after his mother died in complications of childbirth: if such a father today asks "Which formula do you recommend?" would the answer be based on politics or quality? Leave price out of it; the man in question was loaded. If anybody knows the answer I would be interested to know.

wannaBe · 20/10/2011 17:59

So what else do you all boycott then?

Tesco (we know about their practices)
anyone who uses a sweat shop (that's pretty much the entire high street)
Coca Cola (equally dubious practices involving coke in baby bottles and that's before you get to their water consumption/employee practices)
Apple (the highest number of suicides among employees of any company in the world - why is that?)

The fact is that there is no such thing as an ethical company. Even fair trade hve been noted for their dubious tactics which ensure that the farmers are not allowed to trade with anyone else but them, which in turn limits the farmer's choices.

If you want to boycott a company on personal grounds i.e. you don't agree with their practices then that is a personal thing. But to make statements such as that "it's a disgrace that a nursery would use nestle" is just stupid - the nursery could be buying from tesco instead, or using own brand products that are still made by nestle - the boycott has achieved nothing - nestle are a huge company and the few thousand out of 60 million Brits that boycott it make not one jot of difference to them.

KatieMortician · 20/10/2011 18:22

You can't buy Nestle formula in the UK but there are plenty of other formula companies who have a lot of access to health visitors and midwives. But that's a whole other thread and one I won't be on (too hot for me!).

I'm not sure I agree with the argument that buying a product manufactured by Nestle but sold as unbranded is not better than buying direct. The margins on the branded products are much bigger so it should still have an effect, even if it is just a smaller one.

wannaBe · 20/10/2011 18:29

buying own brand products and then saying that's ok because at least it's not nestle's name on the box is a complete cop-out.

Wht that actually means is that you want to be seen to be boycotting nestle, but actually you're quite happy to use their products.

It'd be like not having a car because of the damage car fumes cause to the environment, but instead going everywhere by taxi.

screamingbohemian · 20/10/2011 18:29

Katie to be clear, I wouldn't personally be offended if my nursery said they were boycotting Nestle. I don't think most people would be. But it's possible some people might and businesses generally try to avoid offending their clients.

I don't really agree with it, just saying that could be a reason some business owners don't do it.

KatieMortician · 20/10/2011 18:32

Ah I see Smile

KatieMortician · 20/10/2011 18:36

Interesting extrapolation there wannaBe. I'm not sure I agree.

I wonder if you could tell me which products Nestle is supplying as unbranded? That is information I could use.

bruffin · 20/10/2011 18:39

"I might have to think a bit more. I mean I know I'm not bothered but some folks do get very excited about their DC's rights. I've seen the threads where there is always at least one twat poster coming on to threads about peanuts being banned in schools saying it's not fair on their kid. Even if another child might die; Little Timmy has the right to eat a Tracker bar. And this is not even in the same league."

Actually I think you need to educate yourself on allergies see this current thread

wannaBe · 20/10/2011 18:47

katie, surely as someone who feels strongly enough about the issue, finding out which products nestle manufacture is up to you. Fwiw as far as I'm aware all the own brand alternatives are manufactured by the same copany. but you'd need to find that out for yourself. I have no idea since I don't wish to boycott nestle, but afaik it' pretty common knowledge that most foods are manufactured by a small number of companies.

I guess it depends on why you're boycotting nestle - is it because you don't want to be seen to be using their products, in which case just boycotting the brand is fine, or is it because you don't want to give them any money, in which case if you boycott them, you have to boycott everything that is associated with them, even the non branded stuff that is manufactured in their factories.

KatieMortician · 20/10/2011 18:48

I am perfectly educated on allergies thank you. I have a child who was diagnosed with an egg allergy and I have a serious kiwi fruit allergy myself.

I was referring to my direct experience of reading an AIBU thread on here where (I think it was the OP) was complaining that it wasn't fair she couldn't put products with nuts in her DC's lunchbox because there was a child in the school who was severly allergic and would have a reaction to them if they were nearby. There were other threads too. Admittedly not for a while but there have been.

I don't agree with blanket banning but where a risk has been identified it is sensible to mitigate that risk. Even if that means some children don't get to eat peanut butter. That's just common sense surely?

KatieMortician · 20/10/2011 18:54

I don't tend to buy breakfast cereal or confectionary so I'm fairly confident I'm not actually buying Nestle in disguise. But if I were my earlier comments still stand.

i don't do it to be seen to boycott. Otherwise I'd tell people about it. I don't really. I think I may have posted on FB when my uni switched because there are a few fellow boycotters on there and I've mentioned it on here because it's relevant but otherwise I suspect very few of my RL friends know. Or care.

madhairday · 20/10/2011 19:01

Just found this on supermarket cereals and which ones nestle makes - scroll to bottom. It's v old though so may well be innacurate now. here

spiderpig8 · 20/10/2011 19:32

Well that WHO not the half-arsed mummy boycott!

spiderpig8 · 20/10/2011 19:35

I wouldn't say a company enjoying 7.3% growth during a recession is suffering too much

Seona1973 · 20/10/2011 19:44

its not just cereal and confectionery if wikipedia is to be believed:

Nestle brands

KatieMortician · 20/10/2011 20:19

The cereal and confectionery reference was to non-branded items that are actually Nestle.

I don't buy unbranded cosmetics or other food stuffs that might be Nestle in disguise. I have no pets so I don't get caught out there. Or on the yoghurt (Onken or Rachels) or the ice cream, or baby food.

It's not hard to avoid any of the edible stuff because it's mainly processed rubbish. Cosmetics are harder because they do some good stuff.

KatieMortician · 20/10/2011 20:21

They can do as well as they like Spiderpig. They're not having my money. Or my university's Grin

Andrewofgg · 20/10/2011 21:00

Katie

Cosmetics are harder because they do some good stuff

But you need food, and you might Big N's brand. You don't need cosmetics. So it's easier to boycott their cosmetics than their food, not harder. Isn't it? Confused

Andrewofgg · 20/10/2011 21:00

might need Big N's brand, obviously!

Stateofplay · 20/10/2011 21:07

Take leaflets (print outs from Baby Milk Action website) in, briefly mention it, 'have you considered not using Nestle...' and leave it. Of course it's worth mentioning - if people didn't raise or mention issues, most of us would never learn anything.

It's the snowball effect, one nursery boycotts Nestle on recommendation of a parent (as has been noted by a poster on the thread), then maybe another nursery hears about it and does the same, by the time 10 nurseries boycott it becomes a local newspaper story. Local newspaper stories turn into national newspaper stories, and before long, hey presto there's a grass roots campaign getting national press and putting real pressure on a company.

Well, no harm in trying anyway.

KatieMortician · 20/10/2011 21:09

I don't need rubbish processed food and I don't want it.

I don't need Lancome or Biotherm or Helena Rubenstein or Maybelline or L'Oreal but I want it! I'm ok now I've swapped. But that felt like more of a hardship than not drinking horrible instant coffee. I used to wear Lancome perfume and use Mabelline mascara. Not any more.

Andrewofgg · 20/10/2011 21:11

Katie I fear this proves my theory that a successful boycott is one which makes the boycotter feel good, not one which makes the boycottee feel bad!