This is going to be a busy year for Baby Milk Action. Can you make a donation to support the following areas of work? Help the film Tigers roar Put human rights above business interests Protect children, mothers and their…
Bulk exports of formula to China and the EU Export Directive
On Tuesday 17 February, Baby Milk Action attended a meeting with the European Commission to discuss new regulations being introduced. The proposals are very disappointing, as my colleague Patti Rundall explains on her blog. One of our concerns is the…
Why do supermarkets ration formula?
I received the following message via the Baby Feeding Law Group monitoring project that we coordinate: Morning, apparently I’m a criminal for trying to purchase 3 boxes of formula in Tesco today. Only 2 can be purchased at a time due…
Tesco promises shake up following campaign on illegal formula promotion in its stores
Update 15 April 2015: Despite promising to obey the prohibition on point-of-sale promotion, Tesco has now added ‘still cheaper’ shelf talkers alongside the Nestlé SMA infant formula. Update 25 February 2015: No legal action likely over breaches of criminal law. Tesco’s primary Trading Standards…
Julie Crawford Award for Breastfeeding Support 2014 – Stephanie Heard
Baby Feeding Law Group press release 19 January 2015< The judges are pleased to announce that the 2014 Julie Crawford Award for Breastfeeding Support goes to Stephanie Heard, a Health Visitor in Redruth, Cornwall. The Award will be presented to…
Nestle CEO receives damehood for ‘services to industry’ – as the company puts its own interests before health
Baby Milk Action press release 12 January 2015 Fiona Kendrick, Chair and CEO of Nestlé (UK and Ireland), has been awarded a damehood in the New Year Honours for ‘services to obesity’, in the words of Private Eye magazine, which…
Tesco promoting Nestle SMA infant formula in breach of law – stop ALL promotion and formula could be cheaper PERMANENTLY for parents who use it
Thank you to everyone who is reporting Tesco for a price promotion on Nestlé (SMA) formula. Please keep us updated on what you find in store. Tesco has once again been found promoting infant formula in breach of the Infant Formula and…
Wanted – are formula companies targeting your local children’s centre or nursery?
Have you seen posters or been given leaflets promoting follow-on formula or growing-up and toddler milks? We have evidence of companies paying nurseries to display these – are they targeting children’s centres too? If you work at a children’s centre, have you been…
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 bottled water promotion at EXPO 2015 criticised by campaign groups
Campaign groups are concerned about a proposal for Nestlé water towers at EXPO 2015. For letters of protest see the Nestlé Critics website: Baby Milk Action to Ambassador Bideau GIFA to Matthias Aebischer GIFA to Ambassador Bideau Corporate Accountability to…
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…
Tigers to roar in Indian theatres on March 6, 2015
Official Tigers press release – November 1st, 2014; MUMBAI: Danis Tanovic’s much-awaited festival-acclaimed film, Tigers starring Bollywood star Emraan Hashmi in his first international project, will release in theatres on March 6, 2015. Produced by Prashita Chaudhary of Cinemorphic, co-produced…
Nestle-Free Week news: campaign victories, legal action and whistle blowing
We are half way through Nestlé-Free Week. Boycott supporters have been sharing information about how Nestlé pushes baby milk and encouraging family and friends to dump Nestlé products, at least for a week. Hundreds of thousand of people have seen posts on Facebook,…
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…
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…
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…
Calendar 2015
See the pictures and order on the Calendar section of our Virtual Shop. Please give your views on the pictures and calendar here. If you have images you would like to be considered for a future calendar, please contact us.
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…
Tanovic’s Tigers with Emraan set to roar at Toronto
Official press release from the publicists for the Tigers launch MUMBAI, 26th August 2014: Oscar-winning director Danis Tanovic’s much-awaited film with Emraan Hashmi in the lead titled Tigers, has been selected for its World Premiere at the prestigious Toronto International…
New benefit to members and subscribers – exclusive content
Baby Milk Action is pleased to announce that members and subscribers will now be able to access exclusive content on our website.
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…
Tigers – a film with a pedigree
The feature film Tigers, about a formula company salesman, is being screened in selected UK cinemas and on the ZEE5 streaming channel. This is not just a film that will bring the baby milk issue to a mass audience, Tigers is a…
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…
Comment defending the Institute for Trade, Standards and Sustainable Development, Inc. (ITSSD)
Comment posted to my blog The comment given below was posted to my Blog, Stop TTIP – the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership by someone calling themselves ‘Informed Counsel’ and giving their URL as http://www.itssd.org/. ITSSD is the Institute for Trade, Standards and…
Say NO to formula company sponsorship
Nestlé entered the mainstream UK formula market in December 2012 when it completed its takeover of the SMA brand. We are now seeing the aggressive marketing practices it uses around the world in the UK, driving down standards for the…
Calendar 2014
See the pictures and order on the Calendar section of our Virtual Shop. Please give your views on the pictures and calendar here. If you have images you would like to be considered for a future calendar, please contact us.
Letter from Director of UN corporate accountability initiative reveals its lack of integrity, says Baby Milk Action
Baby Milk Action press release 15 July 2014 Baby Milk Action, a campaign group that monitors the baby food industry against United Nations marketing standards, says it has received a letter (dated 9 July 2014) from the Executive Director of…
Tour de France provides opportunity to promote Nestle boycott
Baby Milk Action press release 7 July 2014 The Tour de France is visiting Cambridge today and is sponsored by Nestlé Perrier Vittel bottled water, presenting an ideal opportunity for campaign group Baby Milk Action to promote the boycott of…
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…
Methodist Church Conference to discuss Nestlé investment and need for transparency
UPDATE: The response to the Memorial described below was not discussed, but was adopted with the undertaking: The Conference accepts the suggestion of the Lancashire District Synod that a further report be brought by JACEI to the 2015 Conference that includes…
EU opposes action on human rights abuses by transnational corporations
UPDATE 26 June 2014: Victory at the UN Human Rights Council – the resolution to draft the treaty was passed, despite opposition from the US and EU. The UK has a vote at the Council and voted against. So please…
Nestle targeting health workers in the UK
Baby Milk Action organised a protest on Tuesday (24 June 2014) outside an event where Nestlé was promoting its SMA formula brand to health workers. Nestlé’s event was ostensibly about ‘food hypersensitivity management in infants and pre-school children’, but is part of…
Say NO to Nestle sponsorship of health workers
It’s not a free lunch – it’s a Nestlé marketing strategy Nestlé is actively targeting health workers in the UK having completed its takeover of Pfizer Nutrition/Wyeth and the SMA brand of formula in December 2012. On 24 May 2013…
The Nestlé boycott: it all begins with a Nescafe
The Nestlé boycott puts pressure on the world’s largest baby food company to market its products in line with international minimum standards. The boycott focuses on Nestlé’s main brand: Nescafé coffee. Nestlé has today announced a global promotion for Nescafé, giving boycott…
Human Rights Groups Call for Governments to Support Treaty That Protects People from Corporate Human Rights Abuses
Baby Milk Action press release 10 June 2014 Baby Milk Action is today joining colleagues around the world calling on governments to support international efforts to strengthen international law, thereby better protecting people from human rights abuses caused by corporate activities.…
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…
67th World Health Assembly: WHO Framework of engagement with non-State actors
Stop Press 24th May 2014: It’s been a very busy week – one very good result: Following our joint lobby with the People’s Health Movement, Third World Network and others a decision was adopted on Saturday 24th to have further…
BTR 2014 report launch: prepare to be outraged – then take action
A video with edited highlights of the press conference launching the global monitoring report Breaking the Rules, Stretching the Rules (BTR) 2014 will be available in due course. This will include the presentation by Annelies Allain, Director of the IBFAN…
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…
Baby Milk Action’s new website is here
We hope you like our new website! Older documents, press releases and blog spots from our previous website are still being copied over. The new site was developed after Baby Milk Action’s members and supporters told us how they would like to…
Opening the door to Business lobbying – what’s wrong with the new WHO policy proposals
Opening the door to Business lobbying – what’s wrong with the new WHO policy proposals CLICK HERE for TWN article on the outcome CLICK HERE for PDF CLICK HERE for many related stories in Update 46 26th March 2014 …
EU Corporate Social Responsibility policy: The Commission seeks stakeholders’ views on achievements and future challenges
Period of consultation 29.04.2014 to 15.08.2014 http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-14-491_en.htm?locale=en Press release Brussels, 29 April 2014 EU Corporate Social Responsibility policy: The Commission seeks stakeholders’ views on achievements and future challenges The Commission is seeking stakeholders’ views about the impact of its Corporate…
Nutricia India tinkers with its audit
Two important media articles in Nutraingredients about Danone’s ‘risk of non-compliance’ with the Indian IMS Act: http://www.dairyreporter.com/Manufacturers/Danone-Group-trying-to-whitewash-Nutricia-India-marketing-practices-BMA http://www.dairyreporter.com/Manufacturers/Nutricia-India-at-risk-of-non-compliance-with-IMS-Act-Danone?nocount
How Nestle’s Chairman misled shareholders about its infant nutrition business at the 2014 AGM
I attended the Nestlé shareholder meeting on 10 April 2014 with a colleague from the Geneva Infant Feeding Association (GIFA), a partner in the International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN). We both raised concerns about Nestlé’s marketing of breastmilk substitutes…
Opening the door to Business lobbying – what’s wrong with the new WHO policy proposals
CLICK HERE for TWN article on the outcome CLICK HERE for PDF CLICK HERE for many related stories in Update 46 26th March 2014 WHO has published a draft proposal for a Framework and set of policies to address its…
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…
Spotlight on ASDA promoting Danone Cow & Gate formula – send us your photos and reports
Danone promotion of its Cow & Gate brand of baby milk in ASDA has been brought to Baby Milk Action’s attention. We are communicating with ASDA about the promotion and the misleading claims being used in it. Curiously, ASDA told…