Today I spoke on a panel at the United Nations Forum on Business and Human Rights in Geneva. Our event was on Challenges and Opportunities of a Treaty Addressing Corporate Abuses of Human Rights. The Treaty is being drafted by a…
Brazilian law is signed at last
3rd November 2015 Very important news from Brazil: After many decades of deliberation and struggle by our IBFAN colleagues in Brazil, a Brazilian law that bans advertising of formulas, pacifiers, bottles and all products that can interfere on breastfeeding – Regulation 11265/2006…
IBFAN comment on Ending Childhood Obesity Report
The Deadline for comments on the Draft Final Report of the Commission on Ending Childhood Obesityis today 13th November 2015. Baby Milk Action and IBFAN have submitted the following comment. BabyBaby Milk ActionIBFAN_ECHO_Nov2015 The Draft Final Report is HERE CLICK…
Nestlé shifts position on breastfeeding, but refuses to change formula marketing practices in Nestlé-Free Week
Baby Milk Action press release 5 November 2015 International Nestlé-Free Week is a time for people who boycott Nestlé over the way it pushes baby milk to do more to promote the boycott – and for those who don’t boycott to…
Nestle launches new hypoallergenic formula promotion campaign as BMJ finally retracts fraudulent research that built the market
Baby Milk Action press release 29 October 2015 Media coverage: Huffington Post 5 November The British Medical Journal (BMJ) announced yesterday that it has finally retracted a fraudulent study used by Nestlé, Mead Johnson and other formula companies to weaken laws…
Health visitors caught up in Nestle v Danone formula marketing war
The Community Practitioners and Health Visitors Association (CPHVA) is a member of the Baby Feeding Law Group (BFLG), which works for the baby feeding industry to be better regulated. It is worrying to see it being targeted by Nestlé and…
German TV investigates Nestle
We are looking forward to English translations of two programmes broadcast in Germany this month by ARD, the world’s largest public broadcaster. Links to the German programmes are given below. Sign up for alerts and we will let you know…
Nestle-sponsored paediatric society distances itself from corporation as it launches shocking first 1000 days campaign
Press release 22 September 2015 Update 25 February 2016: Research shows the messages people take from the Brazilian “your child is what you eat” campaign An advertising campaign criticised by health experts around the world for undermining breastfeeding was launched in…
Nestle-sponsored paediatric society shocks breastfeeding mothers with Brazilian first 1000 days campaign according to report in the Daily Mail
(Update: press release 22 September 2015: Nestle-sponsored paediatric society distances itself from corporation as it launches shocking first 1000 days campaign – our original blog article from 16 September responding to the Daily Mail report is archived below). Update 25 February 2016: Research…
Nestle sued over claims of false advertisement of the ingredients in its Gerber baby food
This article is relevant to the ongoing discussions at WHO about inappropriate marketing of foods for infants and young children and shows how foods are ‘idealised’ – not only by baby pictures but by vegetables. Below this article are…
India government sues Nestle for $100m over Maggi noodles
12th August Indian government sues Nestle for $100m over Maggi noodles CLICK HERE for BBC report CLICK Here or HERE or HERE The Indian Government announced today that it is suing Nestle for $100m (£64m) over “unfair trade practices.” following on from its…
Nestlé hijacking World Breastfeeding Week again….
CLICK HERE for WHO, UNICEF, WABA and ILO materials Just like 2014, Nestlé has once again been hijacking World Breastfeeding Week, and all the while continuing to systematically break the UN marketing requirements. There have been advertisements in daily newspapers, sometimes full…
Nestle advert in Hong Kong Metro
Tell Nestle: stop breaking the rules – SMA promotion targeting young mothers
We have been contacted by supporters concerned that Nestlé is promoting its SMA infant formula brand to mothers through sponsorship of AOL’s online Being Mum videos. We are taking this up with both Nestlé, AOL and the relevant authorities in the UK…
Launch of the Civil Society CRC report
Mike Brady, Helen Gray, myself and Alison Thewliss at the launch of the Children’s Right’s Alliance Civil Society alternative report on the UK implementation of the CRC. Portcullis House 1st July 2015. CRAE_NGO-REPORT_WEB See Page 22 Paras 134 and 135…
News update – lead in Maggi noodles and more….
Criminal Complaint Accuses Nestlé India of High Lead Levels in Maggi Noodles Food inspectors say they found seven-times the permissible level of lead in a routine test By PREETIKA RANA Wall Street Journal, May…
WHO opens the doors wide to corporate influence
IBFAN Press Release19.5.15 for PDF WHO opens the doors wide to corporate influence 68th World Health Assembly, UN Palais, Geneva 18th May 2015 The long-running debate about how WHO interacts with corporations is coming to crisis point. In the context of its…
Nestle recruiting staff to break the Code in the UK
Nestlé entered the UK with the takeover of the SMA brand in 2012. The aggressive methods it uses around the world as it competes with Danone (owner of Aptamil, Cow & Gate and Nutricia) have now reached these shores. Nestlé…
Nestle involvement in Toronto CivicAction better city boot camp slammed
Today (28 April 2015) a Nestlé executive is due to be guest speaker at an event in Toronto, Canada, called “Better City Boot Camp” on the topic of nutrition in the first 1000 days from conception run by an organisation called…
Nestle Chairman and board exposed by IBFAN at shareholder meeting
Baby Milk Action press release 16 April 2015 Members of the International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN) stood up in front of 2,446 shareholders at Nestlé’s annual meeting on 16 April to call on Nestlé Chairman Peter Brabeck-Letmathé to change…
New EU rules will trick parents into buying expensive and unnecessary products that will fuel the obesity crisis
PDF: IBFANBFLG EU PR 24.2.15v3 CLICK HERE for BFLG briefing PRESS RELEASE 24 February 2015 New EU rules will trick parents into buying expensive and unnecessary products that will fuel the obesity crisis Health advocates from across Europe have decried new rules…
Nestle forced to remove misleading SMA claims following Baby Milk Action complaint
Baby Milk Action press release 15 December 2014 Change.org petition campaign calling for customers to be informed they were misled Nestlé has finally removed some misleading claims from its website for SMA Toddler Milk following complaints by Baby Milk Action…
Nestle investigated for ignoring ASA ruling
Update 15 December 2014: Nestle’s forced to remove misleading SMA claims following Baby Milk Action complaint In October we won a case at the UK Advertising Standards Authority over a misleading promotion for Nestlé SMA Toddler Milk advertising. This had been…
Trade vs Health – global meeting fails to safeguard infant and young child health
CLICK HERE for PDF version Infant and young child feeding was once more the centre of debate at the nutrition meeting of the Codex Alimentarius held in Bali, Indonesia this week. Of the 300 participants from over 50 countries…
Nestle India summoned for violating IMS Act
Nestle India summoned for violating IMS Act – Hindustan Times CLICK HERE http://www.hindustantimes.com/punjab/chandigarh/nestle-india-summoned-for-violating-ims-act/article1-1279876.aspx Sunday, November 02, 2014 HT Correspondent , Hindustan Times Rohtak, October 28, 2014 Nestle India summoned for violating IMS Act Chief judicial magistrate Lokesh Gupta, on Tuesday,…
Nestlé’s Gerber accused of false claims
WTOP ANNE FLAHERTY Associated Press 1st November 2014 CLICK here for the full story WASHINGTON (AP) — Baby-food maker Gerber [owned by Nestlé] is being accused by the government of claiming falsely that its Good Start Gentle formula…
Nestle CSV Global Forum with UNCTAD – the attempted corporate takeover of policy making
Nestlé Creating Shared Value Global Forum took place on 9 October. We posted key facts to the #CSVForum twitter feed as others tweeted about pronouncements from Nestlé’s Chairman, Peter Brabeck-Letmathé, and CEO, Paul Bulcke, apparently taken in by two executives who are trying…
Nestle using food banks in Canada to push formula
Companies are very keen to be seen to be addressing inequalities – and what better way to do this than to support food banks, breakfast clubs and other philanthropic ventures – using them to promote their brands of junk foods…
ASA ruling: ASDA and Nestle misled parents with toddler milk promotion
Baby Milk Action press release 15 October 2014 Click here to sign the petition calling on ASDA and Nestlé to inform the customers they misled See ASA ruling A14-263404on the ASA website. Update 15 December 2014: Nestle’s forced to remove misleading SMA claims following…
Nestle – part of the solution or part of the problem?
Nestlé CEO, Mr Paul Bulcke, has posted an opinion piece in Huffington Post – Business: Part of the Problem? No, Part of the Solution. Comments are invited, but the one I posted has not appeared to the public. So it is…
No more for Nespresso for George Clooney ?
20 Minutes – unofficial translation from an article in German that appeared in the Swiss Paper 20 Minutes. No more for Nespresso for George Clooney ? 3rd October 2014His wife should exert pressure on Clooney not to advertise for Nestlé anymore.…
Nestle bra cam? Why?
Several people contacted me on Tuesday about Nestlé’s public relations stunt designed to show that people stare at women’s breasts. The Daily Mail newspaper reported: ‘How many times a day are YOUR breasts stared at? Hidden ‘bra cam’ demonstrates just…
Video report on European Premiere of Tigers – the true story of the former Nestle salesman who took on the company with the help of IBFAN
Video produced by the San Sebastian Film Festival (5 minutes – some commentary in Spanish). For details, screening time and to sign up for news alerts see Baby Milk Action’s special Tigers page. Breaking news 28 September: Tigers wins Solidarity…
World premiere of Danis Tanovic’s Tigers gains standing ovation for Nestlé whistle blower
Canadian Government commends bravery of Syed Aamir Raza Baby Milk Action staff represented in the film also present at premiere Baby Milk Action press release 9 September 2014 Media coverage: Examiner.com – Toronto Star – Express Tribune Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) 8…
Tigers first review – the ‘inspiring story of personal courage’ of a Nestle salesman who blew the whistle
The media screening of the hotly anticipated feature film Tigers, the baby milk drama by Oscar-winning director Danis Tanovic, took place today. The first review has just been published in Hollywood Reporter, which says: “Writer-director Danis Tanovich explores the power of…
Nestle cancels health worker event in UK – but targets parents with baby show in Ireland
Media coverage: Irish Examiner 28 August 2014. Update 31 August: People concerned about Nestlé promoting its SMA formula brand through the pregnancy and baby show in Dublin produced leaflets with the support of Baby Milk Action to offer to those…
Nestle exploits World Breastfeeding Week as part of formula growth strategy
Baby Milk Action press release 6 August 2014 World Breastfeeding Week, promoted by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA), takes place 1 – 7 August 2014, but this year it is being hijacked by Nestlé in a number of countries. This…
UN Global Compact Office says it has no role to play in protecting integrity of initiative as Nestle continues to violate its principles
Baby Milk Action press release 2 July 2014 Baby Milk Action has today sent an open letter to the Executive Director of the UN Global Compact, George Kell, over the failure of the Global Compact Office to hold Nestlé to account for…
US infant formula hospital stance ‘confuses’ domestic law and WHO Code
US infant formula hospital stance ‘confuses’ domestic law and WHO Code: UNICEF, PAHO By Mark Astley+ , 16-Jun-2014 The International Formula Council (IFC) “confuses” US law and the WHO Code when defending the practice of supplying free infant formula samples for hospital discharge bags, the…
Whistleblowing: Food Safety and Fraud
Whistleblowing FSM This is an excellent article, that should be read by all policy makers reprinted from Food Safety Magazine, June/July2014 by Yasmine Motarjemi. It makes an important case for supporting, rather than harassing whistleblowers. Yasmine Motarjemi, Ph.D., holds an M.Sc. degree in food…
International action is needed to stand up to corporations
I have just joined the call for a binding international treaty to address corporate human rights abuses! You can do so to here. The United Nations Human Rights Council is meeting at the moment (10 – 27 June) and an international civil…
Nestlé-sponsored conference cancelled following complaints
A major health conference in Scotland was cancelled last week following complaints about it being sponsored by Nestlé. Sunday Herald (1 June 2014) C&IT (2 June 2014) The Building A Healthier, Fairer Scotland conference was planned to take place at Dynamic…
IBFAN report launch 16 May 2014 – Companies continue to violate the International Code
Press release 16 May 2014 Media coverage: Dairyreporter Breaking the Rules, Stretching the Rules 2014 will be launched on 16 May 2014 at the Club Suisse de la Presse in Geneva by Annelies Allain, Director of the International Code Documentation Centre (IBFAN…
Can nutrition experts be independent if they get $25,000 per annum from Nestle?
CLICK HERE CLICK HERE for Update 46 story Times of India Rema Nagarajan, TNN | Apr 19, 2014, 10.00AM IST NEW DELHI: The question of conflict of interest among academics who serve on various boards or councils of private corporations…
Android KitKat draws attention to Nestlé malpractice
The tie-up between Google and Nestlé through the new Android KitKat smartphone operating system is prompting a reaction in the media and amongst campaigners. This reminder of Nestlé malpractice comes in the lead up to International Nestlé-Free Week, taking place…
Methodist Church committee presents selective report to Conference (4-11 July) to excuse million pound Nestlé investment
Press release 3 July 2013 The British Methodist Conference (4-11 July) will receive a report from the Church’s Joint Advisory Committee on the Ethics in Investment (JACEI), which has been released to the media. This includes a paragraph on Nestlé, in…
Breastfeeding rates falling in England
The Guardian is reporting that breastfeeding rates are falling in the UK. See: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2013/jun/22/breastfeeding-figures-fall-nhs-cuts I have posted the following comment (which can be used by the media as a quote): Part of the problem is also the massive sums baby…
Danone v. Nestle and conflicts of interest in the UK and Ireland
Following Nestlé’s entry into the UK and Irish formula markets in December 2012, when it finalised its takeover of Pfizer Nutrition/Wyeth and the SMA brand, we are starting to see more aggressive baby milk marketing practices, both from Nestlé and…
Nestle Chairman wants to sell the world’s water
Please sign this petition addressed to the European Union, calling it to accept that access to water is a human right. See: http://www.right2water.eu/ Nestlé Chairman, Peter Brabeck-Letmathé, has rejected this view in an interview. Under his principles, water is a…
Danone steps up baby milk promotion in Ireland by branding Barnardos Ireland’s Big Toddle events with Cow & Gate formula logo as it rations formula in UK
Press release 25 April 2013 Media coverage: Irish Independent 2 May Danone has branded its sponsorship of Barnardos Ireland’s Big Toddle event running in 2013 with its Cow & Gate formula logo (left, image from the event Facebook page). At…