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Update 44
Babies need you - decision makers are failing them
Both in the UK and overseas, campaigners are stopping some of baby food companies’ marketing strategies. For example, Tesco, the UK’s biggest supermarket, withdrew its “Big Price Drop” promotion on infant formula after we forwarded your evidence to Tesco and Trading Standards (page 12).
Internationally, Danone said it would withdraw globally the Immunofortis claims highlighted in Update 43 and that it would stop 50% of the violations in the Breaking the Rules 2010 report. But what about the other 50%? (page 17).
Nestlé, the biggest violater of the Code, said it would take action over just 3% of violations, once again disputing our interpretation and rejecting our four-point plan for saving infant lives and ultimately ending the boycott (page 20).
Nestlé has been emboldened by FTSE’s decision to drop its standards for the FTSE4Good Ethical Investment Index to allow companies to be included even while violations continue (pages 6-7). The United Reformed Church ended its support for the boycott as a direct result (page 22).
Concerted action by civil society to hold corporations to account against United Nations standards and regulations rather than against weak company codes, remains essential. Although over 60 countries have brought in legislation implementing the International Code and Resolutions, these laws need to be defended against challenges orchestrated by the baby food industry. As the industry analysts Euromonitor said, “The industry is fighting a rearguard action against regulation on a country-by-country basis.”
When too much attention is paid to industry’s own self-regulated measures, essential regulation to protect the vulnerable gets forgotten by policy makers, the UN and NGOs alike.
At a series of international meetings on nutrition-related diseases and health inequities, we promoted a statement on conflicts of interest. This has now been endorsed by 150 global and national networks and NGOs and has given birth to a new Conflicts of Interest Coalition that is calling on the UN and governments to keep health policy setting free from commercial influence (pages 4 & 5).
As some European Parliamentarians try to end bogus heath claims and advertising of follow-on and ‘toddler’ formulas (page 13), SMA launches a wall to wall follow-on formula advertising campaign in the UK prompting complaints from UNICEF UK and others. Is this to dissuade lawmakers from curbing this market, or an attempt to increase sales and share value before SMA is bought by either Danone, Mead Johnson or Nestlé? (see Page 17).
Who, what, why?
Baby Milk Action
Baby Milk Action is a non-profit organisation which aims to save infant lives and to end the avoidable suffering caused by inappropriate infant feeding. We work as part of the International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN) to strengthen independent, transparent and effective controls on the marketing of the baby feeding industry. IBFAN has over 200 member organisations in more than 100 countries.
Baby Feeding Law Group
Baby Milk Action is the Secretariat for the Baby Feeding Law Group which is working to bring UK legislation into line with UN Resolutions. BFLG members include consumer and mother-support groups and professional bodies such as the Community Practitioners and Health Visitors’ Association, the Royal College of Midwives, the Royal College of Nursing, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, and UNICEF's Baby Friendly Initiative.
International Code
We work for controls implementing the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes (The International Code). This Code was adopted in 1981 by the World Health Assembly (WHA), the world’s highest policy setting body. The International Code bans all promotion of breastmilk substitutes and was adopted as a ‘minimum requirement’ to be implemented by member states ‘in its entirety’.
The International Code and the subsequent relevant WHA Resolutions, which have clarified or extended certain provisions of the Code, must be considered together in the interpretation and translation into national measures.
Protecting breastfeeding
There is no food more locally produced or sustainable than breastmilk. A breastfed child is less likely to suffer from gastroenteritis, respiratory and ear infections, diabetes, allergies and other illnesses. In areas with unsafe water a bottle-fed child is up to 25 times more likely to die as a result of diarrhoea. Reversing the decline in breastfeeding could save 1.5 million lives around the world every year. Breastfeeding helps fulfill the UN Millennium Development Goals and has the potential to reduce under-5 mortality by 13%. A further 6% of deaths could be saved through appropriate complementary feeding. Breastfeeding also provides health benefits to the mother, such as reduced risk of some cancers.
Protecting babies fed on formula
Breastmilk substitutes are legitimate products for when a child is not breastfed and does not have access to expressed or donor breastmilk. Baby Milk Action lobbies for regulations which ensure that their composition and labelling is as safe as possible.
Companies should comply with all the International Code requirements to reduce risks - independently of government measures. Parents have a right to accurate, independent information.
Contact details
Baby Milk Action, 34 Trumpington St, Cambridge, CB2 1QY, UK
Tel: (01223) 464420 Fax: (01223) 464417
Baby Milk Action is funded by membership (£18 waged, £7 unwaged, £25 family, and organisation affiliations), donations and merchandise sales.
We have received grants from CAFOD, Christian Aid, The Joffe Charitable Trust, The Network for Social Change, Oxfam, SCIAF, S E Franklin Deceased Charity.
Update 44 was written by Mike Brady and Patti Rundall. Update is free to members and affiliates.
Contents
Update 44 - April 2012
Click here to download (5.6 MByte pdf file).
Click here for low resolution version (1.6 MByte pdf file).
Online version
Click on the links in the contents list below.
You will find 'next page' links at the bottom of each page.
Page 2
Page 3
Editorial : Babies need you - decision makers are failing them
Page 4
Page 5
What role for BINGOs and PINGOs?
Rio Declaration on health inequalities betrays the promise to ‘close the gap in a generation.’
Page 6
FTSE4Good rules change to accept code breakers
Page 8
Meetings with Nestlé executives - where the Global Compact Office could help
Children’s Rights and Business Principles
Page 10
Julie Crawford Award goes to IFIT health visitors
Page 11
New Baby Feeding Law Group makes it easier to report baby food companies
Page 12
Monitoring project stops illegal Tesco promotion
Infant Formula Explained films provide independent information
Page 13
European MEPs campaign to stop claims and formula ads
Page 14
- Creating new markets: ‘Growing up’ and ‘Toddler’ milks
- South African law - at last?
- Prof Michael Latham dies
Page 15
- American Academy of Pediatrics backs 6 months breastfeeding
- Abbott pays bloggers to review Similac iPhone app
- Taking over counselling & education
- Babies need Mom-Made NOT Man-Made
Page 16
The Business of malnutrition - profiting from the poor
- GAIN abandons Monitoring Protocol
- SUN worry
- Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food
- Governments should govern - Corporations should follow the rules
Page 17
- New Nestlé director admits violations that company denies
- Danone the new giant threat to infant health
Page 18
Nestlé executives refuse to stop violations...
- ...unless you support our campaigns
- STOP PRESS - Nestlé formally charged in India
Page 19
Nestlé Policy versus the International Code
Page 20
Protests in North America and Switzerland
- Join the Newark Protest
- Dishounourable degree in Alberta
- Nestlé taken to Swiss court over spying ring
- New resources for promoting the Nestlé boycott
Page 21
- International Nestlé-Free Week becomes Halloween event
- Nestlé, Good Grief! - The Musical
- Dates for 2012
Page 22
- URC ends support for the boycott - over a technicality
- Development agencies in Laos snub Nestlé prize
Page 23
- Nestlé BabyNes system breaks Code and endangers health
- Nestlé, the London Marathon, the Olympics and water
Page 24
- Nestlé Monster T Shirts now available
- Infant Formula Explained DVD
- Complementary Feeding: Nutrition, Culture and Politics
- Sponsorship
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