Follow On Milk Samples in the Bounty Pack

[NineUnlikelyTales]

Apologies if this has already been discussed before.

I have just been to collect the second Bounty Pack for my DS, who is 7 months. I was really surprised that it contained 3 sachets of follow-on formula and very little else. I know that this stuff is made by formula companies to get round the laws about promoting formula, but I was still surprised.

I read the packets and they said that follow on milk was 'more appropriate than cow's milk' which again surprised me, as that seems to suggest that people should use this stuff instead of cow's milk on cereal, in cooking etc when the baby is weaned onto solids even if BF. In fact the general impression was that BF was okay until now, but follow on milk is best from now on.

I am angry about this because I have a tough enough time expressing for my DS without having the temptation of formula in the house, in whatever guise. I wonder if other proper BF mums might be tempted to try the formula and ditch BF too.

What does everyone think about this and who should I complain to?

nut

What other side is that then Aesthetic?

NUT, promoting first Infant formula (those for under 6 months), by advertising, price reduction, display position, free gifts, coupons etc, is illegal but Follow On's (6 months plus) not. Manufacturers use this loophole to establish brand recognition witht he FO's and by association promote the related first formula.

It doesn't work like that Fio.
Maybe for the odd individual but for society en masse it doesn't.
Otherwise why would companies (of any sort) spend millions on advertising?)

I don't understand how by giving samples in a 6month+ bag you can push first infant milk. Unless you have other children???

I can't remember if I was given follow on milk or not in bounty packs. I definatly didn't use it, and I did bottle feed. I didn't bother using iy because I knew that follow on milk is a bit of a con.

So the ever so good advertising didn't work on me

Wulf,I don't see that as extreme at all.
The symbolism of the whole exchange is particualrly waited.
As they arrive in the world,the message to the mother is
'Make your child a voracious consumer of products available for money.'

Smashing.

of course direct marketing works because suckers say yes they want and like it

say no and then it won't work

if you don't want a Bounty bag then don't go and pick one up..it is because of you that they can access the baby market and get to you

for the sake of a few freebies you are creating more waste and you are giving marketing companies the info they want to get you again and again

It is the same as tesco with their baby club abd parent and child parking spaces it is a way of getting you to sign up for marketing so that they can keep getting you over and over again

Bounty sells your baby to businesses, if you don't like it don't participate

And if you are desperate for your free gifts then realise you are perpetuating this and don't pontificate about it

Or did you just collect the bag to see if there was something in it to complain about?

Bounty are a commercial agency, who sell space in their 'gift' (ha!) bags to agencies acting on behalf of manufacturers. They then pay the hospitals to let them in.

They have been going for donkeys years.

Agree Zippi. I seem to remember having the voucher for the 6 month bag well before then with ds and it also contained weaning foods. btw a similar scheme exists in Switzerland which has a higher b'feeding rate than UK.

And it is a huge marketing operation, designed to make mothers and babies consumers - in the guise of doing them a big favour.

mumsnet works on the same model without the landfill

and without the mailing list sales but with the targetted market obviously

Agree with wulfric, these packs are a load of rubbish and excess packaging which has no place in the newborn baby world.
I chose not to collect any of the Bounty packs, this pregnancy or the last, and as I gave birth at home last time no one peddled them.
I agree that follow on milk samples/baby rice should not be included, prob the best thing to do is to complain.
If Bounty gets a lot of negative feedback it may make them think twice (though am a bit sceptical about that).
Another option is to refuse all such packs in the first place...

I loved my Bounty packs

bring on the freebies

I still refill the little tub of Sudacrem I got oooooh nearly 5 years ago

all crap was thrown in the bin

bounty sell your personal details on for a profit, to people who want to sell you stuff.
that's their business, direct junk mail marketing.
I am always amazed by how blinkered some people are to the wider picture, and can't see beyond their own very personal individual experience.
It is all very well to say "well, I wouldn't be influenced by it"
oh well that's alright then, because of course you were right all along, you are the only person in the known universe . your experience and the effect on you is the only thing that matters

true olive, I do still use that little pot of Sudocreme
{blush][shame]

true true
it's the bigger picture though

Tesco send me vouchers for posh cheese and expensive oils and vinegars because I joined their Food Ponce Club

b@st@rds

they forced me to buy them, honest, it was not from my own free will

I was dragged to the shops

Isn't the point of the OP that she didn't know what exactly was in the pack so it's hard to make an informed choice in that case?
Still think easiest option is to bypass them altogether, there are anough landfill probs in this country as it is....