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Mike Brady, Campaigns and Networking Coordinator, writes:  Baby Milk Action is part of the International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN). With our partners we are monitoring baby food companies against the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes, adopted by the World Health Assembly, which came about partly as a result of the Nestlé Boycott (page 9).

In this Update we report on our advocacy with our IBFAN partners at the World Health Assembly for a new Resolution which helps keep pace with new marketing strategies and scientific knowledge (page 6). IBFAN works to bring the Code into legislation and defend measures which support parents and carers (page 8). We also work to improve the global standards on the composition and labelling of baby foods which helps protect all babies - those fed on formula as well as those breastfed. (page 12).

Our Policy Director, Patti Rundall (right), received a second Caroline Walker Trust Award 2010 in November (the first in 1989). The citation reads: ‘Patti continues to be an absolute force in ensuring that infants’ and children’s nutritional health is protected by challenging health claims and promoting optimal infant feeding worldwide.’

Nestle is the market leader, more since so taking over Gerber, and sets trends others follow (page 14). Monitoring has revealed how much of a problem Danone has become since buying the Nutricia, Milupa and Cow & Gate brands and must clean up or we will call for a boycott to put pressure on its executives (page 13). Nestlé is now one of the four most boycotted companies on the planet (page 18).  Our resources and campaigns help you to promote the boycott and increase the pressure (page 19 - 24). The boycott has forced some important changes in policies and practices and recently forced a crackdown on big displays of Nestlé formula in supermarkets in Africa. However, the company is still refusing to end other harmful practices (page 17).

We communicate directly with the baby food companies and, together with organisations campaigning on other aspects of Nestlé malpractice, have registered complaints with the UN Global Compact and Swiss Government. Their failure to act exposes fundamental problems with current systems for holding corporations to account and we are making the case for a stronger international regulatory framework (page 16). Interestingly, Nestle argued at its AGM that regulations are unnecessary, claiming it already has sound principles and core values (page 18).

We also work on our own doorstep in the European Union (page 11) and the UK, where the new Coalition Government is presenting new challenges (page 4). Once again it is people like you reporting cases of aggressive company marketing that provides the evidence we need to bring in the changes which will allow all parents to make fully informed decisions. Our new DVD, produced with the Baby Feeding Law Group, provides objective information and is a useful resource for health workers to use with parents who intend to use infant formula (page 10).

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