How companies exploit the COVID-19 crisis. March 2020. This photo shows follow-on milk that was donated by Arla to a charity who sent it on to their local Baby Friendly Hospital in the UK. Following reports of stockpiling and shortages…
IBFAN comment on revision of Codex Follow-up Formula Standard
IBFAN comment on revision of Follow-up Formula Standard. Section B. (The deadline for submitting comments has been extended to the end of April). IBFAN comment at Step 5 on the Review of the Standard for FUF General Comments IBFAN considers…
COVID-19 WHO and UNICEF stress the importance of breastfeeding
WHO and UNICEF advice on breastfeeding and coronavirus Infant and Young Child programming in the context of COVID-19. UNICEF Brief 2 V1 30th March WHO Interim guidance 13 March 2020, WHO Advice for the Africa region, 26th March WHO Q&A…
IBFAN comments on Codex Guidelines on Ready to Use Therapeutic Foods (RUTF)
IBFAN COMMENT ON PROPOSED DRAFT GUIDELINES FOR READY TO USE THERAPEUTIC FOODS (RUTF). (at Step 5). IBFAN Comment RUTF Guidelines Step 5. (NB: the Deadline for this comments has been moved to the end of April) IBFAN POLICY BRIEF ON…
Ask your MP to protect breastfeeding, families in crisis and children in working poverty
The Coronavirus crisis is throwing up enormous problems for so many people and its hard to see where, when or how this nightmare will end. You can help by contacting your MP to make sure the following safeguards are in…
Baby Feeding Law Group
The Baby Feeding Law Group https://www.bflg-uk.org/ Who we are The Baby Feeding Law Group UK was founded by Baby Milk Action in 1997 and has been working for over 20 years to strengthen UK baby feeding laws in line…
APPG on Infant Feeding & inequalities: US and UK Trade talks
Reminder: today’s All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) meeting on Infant Feeding & Inequalities I will be making a short presentation on ‘US–UK trade talks –the potential impact on food standards Tuesday 10 March, from 1-3pm. Committee Room 18 The agenda…
Useful articles and action you can take on UK US trade deals
We are a signatory to this letter: Letter to PM and SoS for International Trade on US talks and Covid-19 epidemic 26 March 2020 Dear Prime Minister and Secretary of State for International Trade, The United States Trade Representative announced…
Breastfeeding and HIV therapy
HIV treatment in pregnancy Babies of South African mothers taking HIV therapy have worse health in early months – unless they are vaccinated and consistently breastfed Gus Cairns 11 February 2020 A South African study has found that, in general, babies…
New compositional, labelling and marketing regulations come into force
On February 22nd 2020 new compositional, labelling and marketing regulations for most infant formula, follow on formula and infant milks marketed as foods for special medical purposes on the UK market came into force. This means that legally, products meeting…
When the SUN casts a shadow – the human rights risks of multi-stakeholder partnerships
Full report: ENGLISH FRENCH SPANISH 4-page brief February 24, 2020 When the SUN casts a shadow New research study sheds light on the human rights risks of the Scaling up Nutrition (SUN) In the past two decades ‘multi-stakeholder’ partnerships have…
Last chance to join Civil Society letter about conflicts of Interest in the UN Food systems
Civil Society letter expressing concern about the World Economic Forum’s partnership with the United Nations This letter has already received 330 signatures. The deadline has been extended to February 28th so if your organization has not yet signed it and…
Protected: When the Sun casts a shadow
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
Lancet Commission: A Future for the World’s Children says self regulation doesn’t work
A Future for the World’s Children Read the report here See the launch on 19th February here ” Industry self-regulation does not work, and the existing global frameworks are not sufficient. A far stronger and more comprehensive approach to regulation…
Malnutrition to transform business prospects
I wasn’t invited to the invitation only event but I found this sentence especially revealing: “Companies across all sectors hold huge, transformative power to save countless lives and transform their own financial prospects” Feedback from those who were there would…
Nestlé no longer a sponsor of My Family and the Galapagos
The second series of My Family and the Galapagos is airing on C4 on Sunday evenings. Having written to complain about the Nestlé sponsorship and how I felt it had influenced the show’s message about plastic waste, I was…
How ultra-processed food took over your shopping basket
How ultra-processed food took over your shopping basket It’s cheap, attractive and convenient, and we eat it every day – it’s difficult not to. But is ultra-processed food making us ill and driving the global obesity crisis? By Bee Wilson…
Managing Severe Acute Malnutrition/Severe Wasting
Global Action Plan (GAP) on child wasting* During the WHO Executive Board (3-8th January) WHO conducted a very short consultation on this new plan. Baby Milk Action Response NAPi India Response (a national think tank on nutrition) The final Plan proposes…
No ‘sunset clause’ please! NGOs call for vigilance on harmful marketing
Press Release PDF No ‘sunset clause’ please! NGOs call for vigilance on harmful marketing WHO Executive Board meeting, Geneva, 7th February 2020 Civil society NGOs attending WHO’s Executive Board meeting ahead of the May World Health Assembly are protesting against…
Biennial Reporting on the International Code under threat
WEBCAST of THE EB is available HERE SEE Press release HERE IBFAN made interventions on Maternal, Infant and Young Child Nurition (Agenda Item 18 see Friday pm webcast move to 2.48), Food Safety (Agenda Item 19) and WHO Reform/Non State…
World in Progress: Who decides what’s healthy? Private donors impacting WHO’s health policies
World in Progress: Who decides what’s healthy? Private donors impacting WHO’s health policies The current Corona virus outbreak highlights the importance or international coordination in health, and the World Health Organization plays and important role in that. But as UN…
WHO: Secretariat bypasses FENSA restrictions on private sector secondments
WHO: Secretariat bypasses FENSA restrictions on private sector secondments through “Nil-Remuneration Contracts” TWN Info Service on Health Issues (Jan2020/01) Third World Network Geneva, 29 January 2020(TWN) – The secondment of industry personnel to the World Health Organization (WHO) under “Nil-Remuneration”…
Court condemns Nestlé for violating Swiss Labour Law regarding its food safety manager
PRESS RELEASE Court condemns Nestlé for violating Swiss Labour Law Mrs. Yasmine Motarjemi v. Société des Produits Nestlé SA (formerly Nestec SA) Yasmine Motarjemi, Ph.D., holds an M.Sc. degree in food science and technology from the University of Languedoc, Montpellier,…
Voluntary Guidelines on Food Systems and Nutrition – Draft One
IBFAN is a member of Food and Nutrition working group of the Civil Society Mechanism (CSM) of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS). We regularly contribute to the deliberations of the CSM-CFS through the WG. Presently, the CFS is…
Are the Exclusive Breastfeeding targets holding back further action?
Several countries now exceed the targets for Exclusive Breastfeeding by 2025. Some are interpreting the targets as optimum rather than interim – and this may be holding back further action that could save childrens lives. Interpreting the World Health Assembly…
Hundreds of civil society organizations worldwide denounce World Economic Forum´s takeover of the UN
Press Release Hundreds of civil society organizations worldwide denounce World Economic Forum´s takeover of the UN As corporate executives fly into Davos for the annual meetings of the World Economic Forum, more than 400 civil society organizations and 40 international…
Child-Slavery Appeals by Nestle, Cargill Draw High Court Inquiry
The Supreme Court will consider a number of patent cases for hearing during its Jan. 10 conference. Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg Child-Slavery Appeals by Nestle, Cargill Draw High Court Inquiry Jan. 13, 2020, 2:57 PM Supreme Court seeks Trump administration input on…
Nestlé under fire again
Milk for older babies Nestlé struggles to win over baby formula critics By Jessica Davis Plüss This content was published on January 10, 2020 11:00 AM Jan 10, 2020 Growing-up milk, specially-formulated for older infants, generated the majority of sales growth…
WHO consultation on Governance
WHO information session on NSA consultation and secretariat proposals: IBFAN Questions/Comments 16th December 2019 – Some very worrying changes are bing proposed at this meeting and I am joining this meeting by WEBEX. Thanks to colleagues from the Geneva NGO…
US trade deal must not undermine NHS, food standards or climate action
Update: Cross-party Lords will debate the Withdrawal Agreement Bill on Amendment 27 tomorrow which would give Parliament scrutiny of the UK-EU Future Relationship. Thanks to the Trade Justice Movement, Global Justice now and all the NGOs and MPs who are …
US UK Trade talks
Baby Milk Action is a member of the Trade Justice Movement (TJM) and Global Justice Now (GJN) – and has contributed to a number of position papers about trade justice and future US/UK negotiations. Trade Justice Manifesto 2019. NHS drug…
Call to Action: IBFAN’s 3rd Global Conference in Brazil
RIO DE JANEIRO DECLARATION: A CALL TO ACTION PDF ENGLISH We, citizens of the whole world, call on all governments, professionals, companies and everybody to respect the right of mothers and children to breastfeed. While mothers have the sovereign right over their own…
Exporting countries put trade before the health of the planet and children
Exporting countries put trade before the health of the planet and children 41st Codex Nutrition meeting (CCNFSDU) 23 – 29th November 2019, Dusseldorf, Germany REPORT of the meeting Efforts by developing countries, WHO, UNICEF and the International Baby Food Action…
WHO evaluation of Framework for Engagement with Non State Actors (FENSA)
Evaluation of WHO’s Framework of Engagement with Non-State Actors (FENSA), November 2019. WHO Evaluation Office _____________________________________________ We have been calling on WHO to carry out a thorough, open and transparent evaluation of FENSA ever since this Framework was adopted in…
Nestlé’s ‘responsible sourcing’ claims uncovered
Documentary on Child Labour reveals Nestlé’s hollow claims ‘Invisible Hands’: Film Review 6:32 AM PST 11/20/2018 by John DeFore FACEBOOK TWITTER EMAIL ME Courtesy of First Run Features “……In the Indonesian rain forest, workers who are saddled with unmeetable harvest…
Multi-stakeholder partnerships: what are the risks? The case of Scaling up Nutrition (SUN)
Multi-stakeholder partnerships: what are the risks? The case of Scaling up Nutrition (SUN) PDF The potential of partnerships with the private sector has dominated the narrative of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 17 overshadowing…
Petition on baby food contamination
People can support this call by signing an email action in French or German. Laboratory Tests: Suspected Carcinogenic Mineral Oil Residues in Baby Milk Foodwatch News24.10.2019 https://www.foodwatch.org/en/news/2019/foodwatch-laboratory-tests-suspected-carcinogenic-mineral-oil-residues-in-baby-milk/ Mineral oil in foods Tests have found baby milk products contaminated with harmful…
The risks of Multi-stakeholderism, Committee on Food Security, Rome
15 October 2019, Rome, Italy – CFS 46 – VI MULTISTAKEHOLDER PARTNERSHIPS TO FINANCE AND IMPROVE FOOD SECURITY AND NUTRITION IN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE 2030 AGENDA. Patti Rundall, policy director of International Baby Food Action Network, (IBFAN). Committee…
Petition to Stop Nestle joining Swiss Water agency
“Nestlé’s exploitation of water is just one of the many examples of the risk this corporation poses to human and planetary health. The subject of a continuing 4-decade boycott for its contribution to the family suffering and lives lost by…
Domestic violence and breastfeeding
University of Warwick press release Embargoed until 7PM BST (UK)/2 PM Eastern Time (US) on Tuesday 1 October 2019, Domestic violence reduces likelihood of mothers breastfeeding in developing countries • Mothers 13% less likely to breastfeed their infants exclusively in…
World Economic Forum´s takeover of the UN
Press Release Hundreds of civil society organizations worldwide denounce World Economic Forum´s takeover of the UN September 26, 2019 Hundreds of civil society organizations worldwide denounce World Economic Forum´s takeover of the UN The call, made in an open letter,…
Research on formulas
Prev Med. 2018 Apr;109:11-16. doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2018.01.009. Epub 2018 Jan 12. Toddler drinks, formulas, and milks: Labeling practices and policy implications. Pomeranz JL1, Romo Palafox MJ2, Harris JL2. Author information 1 College of Global Public Health, New York University, NY, New…
Codex notes: African concerns about Additives in Liquid Milk, Cross-promotion
Codex Alimentarius Commission meeting in July 2019 (CAC42). Rough transcript of the debate about the additive Trisodium Citrate in liquid milk . (Page down for the report of the debate on the follow on formula standard and cross promotion.) For…
New Updated tools for protecting breastfeeding, including in emergencies
Updated WBTi tool includes IYCF-E with rich information around IYCF-E from countries who use this tool: https://www.worldbreastfeedingtrends.org/uploads/resources/document/wbti-tool-2019.pdf
A Shadowy Industry Group Shapes Food Policy Around the World
The New York Times A Shadowy Industry Group Shapes Food Policy Around the World https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/16/health/ilsi-food-policy-india-brazil-china.html https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/16/health/ilsi-food-policy-india-brazil-china.html When the Indian government bowed to powerful food companies last year and postponed its decision to put red warning labels on unhealthy packaged food,…
Consultation on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Consultation on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Chance to include an indicator for Exclusive Breastfeeding and to define the term ‘Partnership’ Deadline 8th September The 2020 Comprehensive Review of the global indicator framework to monitor progress on the SDGs has…
EU Council conclusions on Childhood Overweight and Obesity
EU Council conclusions on Childhood Overweight and Obesity CLICK HERE http://www.babymilkaction.org/archives/13794 EU Council conclusions regarding actions that can be take to halt the rise in Childhood Overweight and Obesity, adopted by the Council on 15 and 16 June 2017. Here are a…
New articles on Conflicts of Interest and other things
https://www.tni.org/en/publication/multistakeholderism-a-critical-look Multistakeholderism:a critical look. WORKSHOP REPORT Amsterdam, March 2019WORKSHOP REPORT | March 2019 Corporate Power Project _____________ Franklin Frederik. https://www.globalresearch.ca/swiss-development-aid-nestle-water-privatization/5687211 ___________ Indian Academy of Pediatrics Guidelines on the Fast and Junk Foods, Sugar Sweetened Beverages, and Energy Drinks PIYUSH GUPTA…
Codex Committee for Africa – new proposal by IBFAN
FAO/WHO COORDINATING COMMITTEE FOR AFRICA 23rd Session. Nairobi, Kenya, 2-6 September 2019 Background papers Please contact your government for support for IBFAN’s PROPOSAL FOR NEW WORK CONCERNING A REGIONAL STANDARD FOR THE LABELLING AND ADVERTISING OF BREASTMILK SUBSTITUTES AND OTHER…
John Redwood on UK baby milk legislation: 2018 Tory conference
The Tory conference was in Birmingham. I attended many side events including several with John Redwood and Jacob Rees-Mogg as speakers. John Redwood was Secretary of State for Wales in 2005 when the earlier UK legislation was passed and…