Can we have Mike Brady from Baby Milk Action please?

[tabouleh]

Hi MNTowers - please can we have Mike Brady from Baby Milk Action.

I have been in email correspondence with him regarding this thread and he is up for a webchat - he asked me to propose a date and time!

I explained that I had to ask you guys first.

Reasons/topics webchat likely to cover:

Discussion of the fact that formula packets don't contain the WHO guidelines of safe preparation.

Discussion re advertising of follow on formula/advertising to HCPs in this country.

Boycott Nestle campaign.

Wider International Issues.

Yes please. I joined Baby Milk Action a couple of weeks ago and think they are doing a fab job.

I am always amazed to meet people who don't boycott Nestle, perhaps we need to somehow raise the profile of the boycott some more? Lots of my peers don't seem to know about it, including people who I am quite sure would boycott if they knew.

Think this would be great, the info on formula packets is so vague and something really needs to be done. Raising the profile of the Nestle boycott is a very good idea, as not many people seem to know about it.

Another yes please!

Agree 100%

Yes please!

Maybe we could get someone from nestle ahem with an opposing point of view too...

yy

Me too! I heart Mike Brady

great idea

you wont get nestle here, they'd bottle it.

3 cheers for Mike Brady!

HOORAY! HOORAY! HOORAY!

Sounds good... And looks like Tabouleh has it all sorted - All MNHQ need do is say "Yes"

Yes please!

Nice one Tabs

katerum that's funny... "bottle it" ha ha!
I know they wouldn't, but it would be great if they did, we could tear them to shreds have a very interesting debate!

v good idea

Please! Baby Milk Action has opened my eyes.

Yes please - Tabouleh thanks for all your info on the other thread. This stuff needs to be highlighted!

I think this would be ace. Yes, please.

MN ?

good idea

Agree

Yes don't worry - we are in discussion with him about it - we'll definitely have him on.

Hi all,
So here's where we're at with this issue:

Following the recent discussion about our acceptance of advertising from the Body Shop ? a company in which Nestle has a 26% stake ? we have talked the issue over with Mike Brady, the Campaigns Director at Baby Milk Action. We have agreed that we will feature a new ?Supporting the Boycott? button on our Home Page (rather than the previous ?Nestle-Free Zone? button), and we will be working with BMA over the next few months to raise awareness of the issues around formula marketing.

Mike says: "Mumsnet continues to be a very active forum for discussion of the Nestlé boycott and wider issues concerned with protecting breastfeeding and protecting babies fed on formula.

"The purpose of the Nestlé boycott is to put pressure on the largest baby food company and the one we find to be the worst when it comes to violating the international marketing requirements for baby foods. Pressure from the boycott has forced some changes, but the company continues to reject our four-point plan for saving infant lives and ultimately ending the boycott. Further pressure is needed. The main target of the boycott is Nescafé coffee, Nestlé's flagship product, but we encourage people to avoid all products from which Nestlé profits. That is the message conveyed by the Nestlé-Free Zone logos, which link to our site and the boycott list.

"We have prepared alternative logos for sites and media channels that wish to raise awareness of the campaign regardless of their own degree of support for the Nestlé boycott. It is important to keep this issue in the public eye as much as possible and we welcome anyone making use of these logos to raise awareness and send traffic to our site. We have no advertising budget ourselves.

"We encourage everyone who is selective in their boycott to avoid all Nestlé products during International Nestlé-Free Week at the end of October and those who do not boycott to give it a go, at least for the week. This year we are also asking people to email Nestlé over its latest global marketing strategy: the company is claiming its baby milk 'protects' babies, even though it know babies fed on formula are more likely to become sick than breastfed babies and, in conditions of poverty, more likely to die."

We very much hope to have Mike on to talk about this campaign in more detail some time in the next couple of months.

Thanks to all for your input.

wow. Didn't know about the nestle and Body Shop connection. Will look closely at the list....

Would be excellent to have Mike on - too many MW's and HV's (of which I am one) do not appreciate the political agenda from baby milk com panies. All those C+G diary covers etc - even worse they don't feature the names any more but those colours immediately take tou to images of C+G/SMA or whatever.