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

[zimm]

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.

I am sat nodding at the boycott Nestle people, whilst eating a Nestle Rolo yoghurt

I'll get me coat...

I don't think most people would notice those of us who boycott to be honest. I only discovered on Sunday that a friend of mine has boycotted Nestle for years too. I don't shout about it from the rooftops either, although I feel I probably should.

I avoid buying products from other companies I disaprove of too (Starbucks, Macdonalds, Coca-Cola, American Apparel, etc.) but it's difficult with energy companies. I don't drive so my fuel consumption isn't huge for transport.

You'll also be wanting to boycott all jewelry.

You really don't want to know how messed up the gold and gems industries are.

I don't think YWBU for simply mentioning it and perhaps giving them a few web links/leaflets. There's a lot on this thread about all-companies-being-evil-so-why-bother but you have to start somewhere. Fairtrade started out very small and spread through individuals bothering to take a stance. Babymilkaction don't have a particular hatred for nestle, or indeed if they do it's through years of nestle refusing to conform to WHO guidelines and still peddling their products to the detriment of mothers and babies throughout the developing world.

So don't go in with all guns blazing but you can mention it, as in 'have you heard about this, would you consider having a look and a chat about it?'

I know loads of people who boycott nestle.

Hi all - lots of posts too many to respond to individually so here my main points:

1. I wasn't flouncing over to breast and bottle feeding - it's just people on there tend to be very anti nestle so I'd be interested in their specific views. Why on earth would I flounce because you lot don't agree with me? That would be the actions of a stupid person :-)

2. Ah northernlurker I was wondering if that thread had been forgotten yet. Yup - I am not totally lacking morals it seems :-)

3. I do boycott a whole bunch of other stuff. I know it's not only nestle that are evil. I won't list it all here but for example: Starbacks, primark, cars, flying, Macdonalds and many more. I don't go round forcing my views on others as a matter of course - I'm a pretty normal, reasonable human being. I just genuinely believe that a nursery whose sole function is to care for children should run their business in a way practices what they preach as far as is reasonably practical.

Telling individual staff members not to wear primark is not practical - switching to non branded cereals it. Therefore I believe this is one of those times it is worth making a stand.

Personally I don't hold much truck with the argument - 'well if I boycott so and so I have to boycott everything so I won't bother' - that's just lazy in my view - we can all take steps that are reasonably practical to minimise our use of unethical products - of course we'll still use a great many - but why use a nestle cereal when a perfectly good alternative is available?

yabu

I think if you want to boycott something, go ahead.

The problem I have with boycotters is that they tend to think they are 1) making a difference, and 2) being morally superior to non-boycotters. I think both of those are untrue. I don't think consumer boycotts work, and I think it's virtually impossible to be a consumer and not use dodgy products, hence you are not really any better than anyone else.

I also think boycotters focus overmuch on companies, and not issues. I would personally rather donate to a charity that helps women in the developing world not be in a position to be suckered by corporations. I think that is more productive than boycotting a company with a higher GDP than Croatia.

So, those are the reasons I don't really agree with you.

I do make ethical choices of my own as a consumer, but I don't imagine I'm making a big difference or being a better person, therefore I keep it to myself and don't hassle anyone else to do the same as me.

Blimey - what don't you boycott? Might be simpler.

34 years this boycott has been going - when do you think it might make one jot of difference exactly?

Well then op send your child in with some alternative cereals. It's not your business to decide for other parents what their child has because of your stance. Your proposal is to change the products that the nursery provide not simply to talk to them about it and allow them to make that choice. Your ideology could be applied to eating meat and animal products e.g dairy as the practices that involve producing the product is unethical. You do come across as a tad preachy and judgy

ffs. If it was babies dying of dysentry/malnutrition in the UK I think we'd probably all be far more outraged, but as per usual because all of this happens in the developing world we can't do anything about it because we'd have to then boycott everything and besides my PFB will only drink Nesquik

You're absolutely right madhairday. And I'm okay with that.

I can't save the world. No one can. It's too bad, but it's true.

It's also true that we live in the 1st world and have many many advantages to those who do not.

And I'm okay with that as well.

But, then again, I'm an anarchist at heart and have some very radical ideas about quite a lot of things.

madhairday Of course I'm outraged. I just don't think consumer boycotts work. Like I said, I would rather give to charities that help people directly.

I actually don't think I buy any Nestle products so I'm not being selfish.

How do you know that the posters on here do not do work to help people in the third world just because they are not involved in the nestle boycott.

It's wrong to force people to do something that they don't wan to. This Boycotte has been going on for 34 years has it made a difference?

The OPer is completely entitled to raise the issue with the nursery. The nursery is also entitled to ignore the OPer if they think the majority of parents don't/won't care.

I'm not really convinced by the Nestle boycott anyway. My university SU boycotted Nestle even though 95% of students didn't give a toss one way or the other. It just meant that people had to get their kitkats from bending machines rather than the SU shop.

It's not so much those of you saying you choose not to boycott because you feel it is pointless through boycotts being pointless in general, and so choose to put energy into other kind of ethical choices, it's more the whole 'oh if we had to boycott nestle we would have to boycott primark and tesco and the whole world really and we can't do that so why bother', alongside the 'well I/dc like Aero bars far too much and it would deprive us' mentality. It's that we have to start somewhere.

I personally am not convinced the boycott has done as much as could be hoped but it's done something. It's forced nestle and other companies to come more in line with health guidelines and it's raised awareness of what these MNCs do. I want my children to be able to make an informed choice so I tell them we don't buy from nestle as a family but if they feel they want to by themselves after having considered the issues then that is fine.

madhairday We have to start somewhere; we have to finish somewhere, and that somewhere is with our own buying choices. We have no right to pressure other people into observing the same boycott because their choices are their business.

Oh FFS, send in your own cereal, sorted.

Nothing beats proper cheerios!

I like Nescafe coffee and Shreddies as breakfast

I do

Not my PFB (who happens to be a big hulking 17 year olds and also like Nescafe and Shreddies)

I hate these half-thought out bandwagons that people jump on and then get all supercilious at people who don't accept their outrage

Exactly the boycott has been going of for 30 odd years does not seem to have made any difference if there is still need to boycott!

I'd never even heard of this Nestle boycott thing til I found MN

If it's been going on for 30 odd years, I agree it's made not one jot of difference.

OP it is really hard to take anybody seriously that boycotts cars. I wonder how many people you have depended on that have needed cars - surgeons, doctors nurses, nursery staff... Oh I've got an emergency I will just have to wait 2 hours for the next village bus... Barking.

I think all you can do is give them some literature about Nestle's actions and let them decide for themselves, They may well not know anything about it. You will come accross as a really pushy and fussy Mum if you start making demands though.