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European Parliament Elections - Bottle feeding in their advert for 'work life balance'

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pooter · 09/04/2009 23:33

Has anyone seen these postcards which have the slogan "How should we help balance family and career" and show a laptop and a baby bottle?
here

Surely this flouts the International Code on Marketing of Breast Milk Substitutes? It is definitely showing bottle feeding as an aspirational lifestyle choice to enable a work life balance.

anyone want to join me in complaining to their MEP? Just follow the link.

writetothem.com

this is what i wrote - but i just dashed it off, so im sure you could do better

Dear Andrew Duff, Tom Wise, Jeffrey Titford, Richard Howitt, Geoffrey
Van Orden, Robert Sturdy and Christopher Beazley,

I am writing to draw your attention to one of the postcard
advertisements used to promote the 2009 European Parliament Elections.
It has the words "How should we help balance family and careers" and is
illustrated with a picture of a laptop computer and a baby's bottle.

I find it incomprehensible that the European Parliament wishes to be
associated with formula feeding, and indeed promote it as part of
seeking the aspirational 'work-life balance'. Indeed, this postcard
violates the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes
of 1981 which member states of the EU have endorsed.

I would appreciate it if you could contact the people responsible for
this advertisement and ask for it to be withdrawn as soon as possible.

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MNHQ

JustineMumsnet · 17/04/2009 12:16

We've just been sent this press release. Apparently he'd received a letter of complaint...

STRUAN STEVENSON RELEASE

Scots Tory MEP, Struan Stevenson, has attacked a European Parliament advert for its ?inappropriate use of a baby bottle? calling for the poster to be withdrawn.

The European Parliament?s news service poster has been designed to illustrate the campaign for the forthcoming Euro elections on 4th June 2009. But, according to Struan Stevenson, the bottle undermines breastfeeding and is in breach of a strict International Code of Breast-milk Substitutes which forbids virtually all forms of advertisements and marketing methods for breast-milk substitutes to the general public.

The European Parliament?s advert asks the question ?how should we help balance family and career?? and goes on to raise issues of gender equality, implying that women still get a raw deal compared to men in Europe and urging people to vote in the Euro elections to ensure better equal opportunities in future.

Speaking out against the use of the baby bottle, Scottish Conservative Euro MP Struan Stevenson said:

?The European Parliament really hasn?t done itself any favours with this advert. If the concept was to generate interest and raise awareness of gender equality ahead of the European elections in June, then why did it use an image of a baby?s bottle next to a laptop computer? There are so many other images it could have used in its attempt to contrast family and career issues.

?It is frustrating to think that the EU has totally failed to appreciate the inappropriateness of this image. I intend to find out why this image was chosen and ideally I would like to see this poster withdrawn from use.?

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