Countries failing to stop harmful marketing of breastmilk substitutes, warn WHO and UNICEF https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/27-05-2020-countries-failing-to-stop-harmful-marketing-of-breast-milk-substitutes-warn-who-and-unicef Agencies encourage women to continue to breastfeed during the COVID-19 pandemic 27 May 2020. News release. Geneva/New York Download the report here. Related links: FAQs on…
IBFAN Statement on COVID-19 for the World Health Assembly. Resolution adopted
STOP PRESS: Tuesday lunch time. The EU-led Resolution adopted with no objections This Resolution could be much stronger. Nevertheless is does contain important recommendations and observations. For example OP4: Calls for the universal, timely and equitable access to and fair…
IBFAN alerts the World Health Assembly to corporate exploitation of COVID-19
IBFAN alerts the World Health Assembly to corporate exploitation of COVID-19. Danone (the world’s second biggest baby food manufacturer) sets up its “expert advice” YouTube channel for Indian mothers giving dangerous information. Nestlé distributes breastmilk substitutes and more. All these…
US Objects to ‘Equitable Access’ language in EU-led draft Resolution on Covid-19
WHO Member States Agree On Draft Resolution For COVID-19 Response – Overriding US Objections to ‘Equitable Access’ Elaine Ruth Fletcher, 14 May 2020 World Health Organization member states reached initial agreement today on a European Union-led draft resolution on global…
Updated: How companies exploit the COVID-19 crisis
How companies are exploiting the COVID-19 pandemic pretending their marketing is ‘Humanitarian’. INDIA: Danone is asking mothers to subscribe to its Voice of Experts YouTube Channel for Covid-19+ mothers. Danone is violating the International Code, the Resolutions, the Indian Law and…
Covid-19: research and media reports
Research on COVID and breastmilk Evidence of a significant secretory-IgA-dominant SARS-CoV-2 immune response in human milk following recovery from COVID-19 Alisa Fox1, Jessica Marino2, Fatima Amanat3, Florian Krammer3, Jennifer Hahn-Holbrook2, Susan Zolla-Pazner1, and Rebecca L. Powell1* 1Department of Medicine, Division…
Health and nutrition claims for infant formula are poorly substantiated and potentially harmful
Guidance for the Conduct and Reporting of Clinical Trials of Breast Milk Substitutes Another important paper has been published in JAMA using the output from a global Delphi project which aims to protect breastfeeding when clinical trials of BMS are…
Updated: COVID-19 WHO and UNICEF stress the importance of breastfeeding
WHO and UNICEF advice on breastfeeding and coronavirus NEW UNICEF: Response to COVID-19: Guidance Note on Financial Contributions or Contributions in-kind from Food and Beverage companies Version 2 (29th April 2020) Updated Frequently Asked Questions: Breastfeeding and COVID-19. (7th May…
CodexConsultations: Follow-on Formulas, Ready to Use Therapeutic Foods (RUTF)
Letter from Codex Secretary to CCPs May_2020. This letter outlines the plans for continuing codex work ____________________________________________________________________________ Codex Consultation: Deadline 10th June 2020 Review of the Follow-up Formula Standard DEADLINE 10th June (CXS156 – 1987) Responses to this Consultation Paper…
News, articles and action you can take on UK US trade deals
5/18/2020 Reuters. Britain, U.S. hopeful trade talks can proceed at pace: London https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trade-britain/britain-u-s-hopeful-trade-talks-can-proceed-at-pace-london-idUSKBN22U123 LONDON (Reuters) – Britain and the United States are hopeful that negotiations for a trade agreement can proceed at an accelerated pace, Britain’s department for trade said…
Civil Society Org Urges Amitabh Bachchan and Union Health Minister to Stop Promotion of Separation of Covid +ve mothers and their babies
Press Release Civil Society Organisation Urges Amitabh Bachchan and Union Health Minister to Stop Promotion of Separation of Covid +ve mothers and their babies Promoting a “Bottle- feeding” culture is NO good for us 29.April.2020, New Delhi : According to…
WHO May Host Virtual World Health Assembly May 18 – COVID-19 To Be Main Agenda Item
WHO May Host Virtual World Health Assembly May 18 – COVID-19 To Be Main Agenda Item https://www.healthpolicy-watch.org/who-may-host-virtual-world-health-assembly-meeting-may-18-with-covid-19-main-agenda-topic/ For the first time ever, the World Health Assembly appears set to meet in a one-day virtual session on May 18, which…
Call for a novel CERN with patent free collaboration
CERN’s convention: “The Organization shall have no concern with work for military requirements and the results of its experimental and theoretical work shall be published or otherwise made generally available.” The need for global collaboration on science with safeguards against…
NGOs join forces to support WHO following US threats to withdraw funding
SID article IBFAN statement of support to WHO 11th April 2020 The International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN) and partner civil society organisations are joining forces to support the World Health Organisation in the face of attacks on its Director General,…
Trump’s blame game against the WHO: the wrong move in the global endeavour to manage the Covid19 pandemic
ARTICLE by SID Trump’s blame game against the WHO: the wrong move in the global endeavour to manage the Covid19 pandemic It is classical syndrome of hate-mongering governments to nervously seek and blame “others” for responsibilities and failures that…
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…
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…