Danone in trouble for marketing techniques

[EauRouge]

And by 'marketing techniques' what I mean is 'blatant lies'.

Mothers deserve the chance to make an informed decision on how to feed their baby. Test weighing and pumping to measure output? FFS. These women are being scared into buying a product they don't need.

This reminds me about how careful we need to be with any information provided by anyone who doesn't necessarily have our best interests at heart. There's something very unethical about doing this with babies.

I take my advice from the NHS.

I was absolutely shocked when I read that. Checking yield to make sure babies are getting the right volume? What total bollocks. I mean, I know many large corporations would sell their own grannies to make a profit, but....

And yet still people think we don't need the WHO code... The lengths these companies will go to to try and make money at the expense of Mothers and their children is shocking...

I know. These companies don't give two hoots about baby health, they just want money. Vile.

How disgraceful! Giving bad advice out with a pseudoscientific basis! Many women think they can't feed their babies because they can't express.

Women around the world want reassurance that they are doing the right thing if their baby is fussy. Danone has set a booby trap up with this ploy. Profits before people. How do they sleep at night?

I don't (yet) have any experience of BF or expressing but I seem to remember reading something about ability/volume f expressed milk not being directly related to the amount of milk that you're actually producing?

I think that is the case in the early days, but is it still true at, say, six months when, presumably both mother and breasts have become more adept at the whole thing? Of course if mothers who have successfully BF until 6 months have not expressed before then, the amount of milk being produced by expressing may not accurately reflect the amount that a practised breastfed baby can extract.

Pumping is never a good way to measure output, no matter what the age of the child. There are mothers that can't express a drop but can BF just fine. It's a good way to make mothers panic though!

I don't know if there's any research behind it but anecdotally I've heard a lot of mothers say that expressing becomes harder the older a child gets. My youngest is 2.5yo now and I can't get much out, whereas I used to be able to pump enough for a whole 'meal' in just a few minutes. I'll see if I can find any more out.

Can't find anything related to the age of the baby, other than supply naturally drops as a child eats more solid food.

Omg that is actually quite shocking. They have deliberately targetted a country with high bfeeding rates and 'researched' and then matketed a campaign to make women feel.they dont have enough milk. Complete with an online questionnaire that will tell you if you have enouhh milk... Suprise suprise most told they dont amd to 'top up' with formula.. Which will lead to a problem with bmilk.production!! Arghh

No mention that the best indicator of milk supply is to look at your baby!! And if you are worried just bfeed more.

Fgs they are unethical bastards and should be ashamed of themsrlves. this is why we need the who code.

Next time there is a thread moaning about restrictions on points/offers on formula someone guve them.that link to read.

eau when mine were little it was easier to express, got harder once they were older almost like boobs more in tune with baby and they make it on demand for baby but not for pump?

While I don't for a moment defend Danone, everyone needs to remember that companies aren't people - they don't have "ethics", they're set up to make profits. Any social responsibility they have comes from a reaction to poor press (so profit again) or regulation. So don't get cross, campaign / boycott / talk to your MP, whatever. Just don't expect companies to be "good".

Danone was also recently slated for bribing midwives to give mothers formula in Indonesia.

www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/feb/15/babies-health-formula-indonesia-breastfeeding

I was appalled when I read The Politics of Breastfeeding - these companies have behaved immorally across the world.

The WHO code is essential.

I've been trying to express for days and can barely get a drop, my baby chokes when I feed him though as I have so much milk and it comes so fast!

What a load of crap!

Btw, has anyone seen the SMA ad that's out just now? It's for the follow on milk but if you look at the beginning of the ad they are using the SMA first milk bottles for a newborn and it shows the bottle perfectly. I didn't think they would be allowed to show this as it is blatantly 'showing' you the newborn milk and that the bottles are ready made and you just shove a teat on.