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…
Childhood Obesity Inquiry highlights baby food industry marketing and sponsorship
Childhood Obesity Inquiry highlights baby food industry marketing and sponsorship for links to Blog with full Transcripts CLICK HERE Parliamentary Select Committee Childhood Obesity Inquiry. House of Commons, 20th October, 2015 The Select Committee inquiry on Childhood…
The Right to Food and Nutrition Watch 2015 – Business of Malnutrition
New publication – the Right to Food and Nutrition Watch 2o15 This includes three articles contributed by IBFAN. The Business of Malnutrition: The perfect public relations cover for big food by Patti Rundall, Policy Director, Baby Milk Action, UK Business of Malnutrition,…
NGOs criticise WHO’s ‘non paper’ on conflicts of interest
NGOs_Chan_67 NGOs criticise WHO’s ‘non paper’ on conflicts of interest 22.10.2015 For the past 4 years and as part of the WHO reform, WHO and its governing bodies are discussing new set of policies, currently called Framework of Engagement With Non…
WHO ‘non paper’ on Framework of Engagement With Non State Actors (FENSA)
See Press release about the letter from 67 NGOs to WHO and the NonPaper on the implications of the Framework of Engagement With Non State Actors (FENSA) For the past 4 years and as part of the WHO reform, WHO and its governing bodies…
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…
IBFAN speaks on Conflicts of Interest at ISSOP conference
IBFAN speaks on Conflicts of Interest at ISSOP conference CLICK HERE
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…
Deadline for comments on WHO Consultation on baby food promotion
A reminder that Monday AUG 10th is the deadline for comments on WHO’s consultation on “Clarification and guidance on inappropriate promotion of foods for infants and young children” See my consultation page for background documents and comments from Baby Milk Action,…
TWN on FENSA: Concerns that “official relations” are used for promoting business interests
Here is a piece from Third World Network, who like IBFAN have been following WHO’s interactions with the private sector WHO: Concerns that “official relations” are used for promoting business interestsGeneva, 16 July (TWN) – The collaboration work plan that the…
WHO DG on Ending Childhood Obesity
WHO Director-General addresses Commission on Ending Childhood Obesity Hong Kong 22nd June CLICK HERE for the speech by Dr Chan at the Third meeting of the Commission on Ending Childhood Obesity in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region 22 June…
IBFAN at the 68th WHA May 2015 – draft FENSA is published
CLICK HERE for the Framework for Engagement of Non State Actors (FENSA) as it was left at the end of the Assembly. The proceedings of the Plenary and Committee Room discussions at the World Health Assembly were web streamed for the…
OXFAM and Global Justice Now keep an eye on DFID and PPPs
DFID and the privatisation of health and education by Jessica Hamer, Health Policy Advisor, Oxfam POSTED BY MOHGA KAMAL-YANNI ON JUN 8TH, 2015 Following on from the UK government’s advocacy that WHO should speedily adopt its seriously flawed Framework on Non State Actors (FENSA) this…
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…
Latin American Food and Beverage industries
Alliance Latin American associations of the industry of food and beverages Declaration of QUITO 10 and March 11, 2015 ALIAB declaración vs regulaciones e impuestos
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…
Guardian Readers’ Editor says Danone-sponsored content “a mistake”
Update 23 July 2015: Guardian.com Editor accepts conclusion Danone sponsorship was a mistake and thanks Baby Milk Action for prompting more rigorous scrutiny of potential sponsors (see below). The Guardian, 18 May 2015: The readers’ editor on … sponsorship of roundtables (full text –…
Getting answers from politicians
Voters in the UK go to the polls on 7 May to elect a new Parliament and so a new government. Where do the parties stand on infant feeding issues? We put two questions to all political parties represented in…
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…
The Guardian responds to Baby Milk Action over Danone-sponsored content
Update 18 May 2015: Guardian Readers’ Editor says Danone-sponsored content “a mistake” – Update 23 July 2015: Guardian.com Editor accepts this conclusion and thanks Baby Milk Action for prompting more rigorous scrutiny of sponsors. Baby Milk Action received a response from…
Media studies: Danone-sponsored content in The Guardian
Update 18 May 2015: Guardian Readers’ Editor says Danone-sponsored content “a mistake” What happens when a newspaper runs content sponsored by corporations? The following is a case study looking at the new business model being pursued by The Guardian newspaper in…
Gates Foundation and clarification on IBFAN funding policy
Below are some media and research articles about the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) along with a Clarification of IBFAN’s funding policy. Don’t reduce the global poor to potential consumers By treating health care as a commodity, Gates…
New WHO consultations
1 WHO Framework of engagement with non-State actors CLICK HERE for the background information http://www.who.int/about/who_reform/non-state-actors/en/ Textual proposals submitted by Member States on the draft overarching framework of engagement with non-State actors and the four specific policies contained in the Annex of document…
WHO EB meeting tackles Conflicts of Interest
CLICK HERE for an Italian article in Il Manifesto, Tanto zucchero please, siamo italiani about the controversy surrounding WHO’s Sugar Guidelines and the Conflicts of Interest on the Italian Delegation. Tanto zucchero please, siamo italiani CLICK HERE for a new BMJ…
WHO warned of risks of commercial exploitation of Ebola
WHO warned of risks of commercial exploitation of Ebola WHO Special session on Ebola, 25th January 2015, Geneva At today’s special session on Ebola, IBFAN, together with Public Services International (PSI) and Health Innovation in Practice (HIP) called on WHO to prevent…
Commission on Ending Childhood Obesity (ECHO)
IBFAN Statement on ECHO WHO Executive Board Meeting January 201 ECHO shortFINAL2 After representing IBFAN at the Civil Society Hearing of the Commission on Ending Childhood Obesity (ECHO) on 14th October, we wrote this letter to explain our concerns about the…
New information on WHO Framework of engagement with non-state actors
The WHO Secretariat input for the upcoming WHO EB session is available now: · EB136/5 Framework of engagement with non-State actors · EB136/INF./2 Framework of engagement with non-State actors Information on regional committee debate
Santa Claus resigns
Here’s a Christmas message from our partners in Mexico Santa Claus resigns Dec 15, 2014 This year Santa Claus made a tough decision: since his kidnapping in 1931 by a beverage company, he is resigning from his captors. He refuses…
BMJ’s new Conflict of Interest Policy
CLICK HERE BMJ’s new Conflict of Interest Policy Editor’s Choice The milk debate, conflicts of interest, and our Christmas appeal Fiona Godlee, editor in chief, The BMJ fgodlee@bmj.com CLICK HERE ….Elsewhere we announce our new more stringent policy on financial conflicts of…
Global Nutrition Report
I attended the launch of the Global Nutrition Report at the House of Commons on Tuesday 2nd December. I picked up on something said by lead author Lawrence Haddad about Maharashtra (see below) and the appropriate role for industry. I made a…
Trade vs Health – global meeting fails to safeguard infant and young child health
Trade vs Health – global meeting fails to safeguard infant and young child health Codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary UsesBali, Indonesia 24-28th November 2014 CLICK HERE for PDF version Infant and young child feeding was once…
How does the Gates Foundation spend its money to feed the world?
New from GRAIN | 4 November 2014 How does the Gates Foundation spend its money to feed the world? Since the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation added “feeding the world” to its objectives almost a decade ago, it has channelled…
All that glitters is not gold – The Truth about GE ‘Golden’ Rice
See the new Greenpeace expose. Velvet Here from IBFAN’s group in the Philippines, Arugaan, is interviewed (8.12m) You can also view the video using this link http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/campaigns/agriculture/problem/genetic-engineering/Greenpeace-and-Golden-Rice/ or HERE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxSGKD50ioE The trailer can be viewed here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhOjpJqn-Ws The trailer has been…
Civil society disappointed at Nutrition negotiations in Rome (2014)
STATEMENT BY CSO DELEGATION TO THE OPEN ENDED WORKING GROUP OF THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON NUTRITION 2 DISAPPOINTING OUTCOMES OF NEGOTIATIONS ON NUTRITION Governments met in the FAO Headquarters in Rome from 10-12 October 2014 to finalize the Rome Political…
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…
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.…
WHO EU Regional Meeting: Conflicts of interest on the agenda
Important information on conflicts of Interest for upcoming WHO Regional Meetings: Copenhagen:15th- 18th September, I have posted these tweets: Why is the EU so keen on voluntary CSR and ‘multi-stakeholder’ approaches – when there is no evidence they work? WHO…
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…
EFSA advice on infant and follow-on formulae
EFSA updates advice on infant and follow-on formulae 24 July 2014 Key findings: The Panel did not consider it necessary to propose specific compositional criteria for formulae consumed after one year of age, as formulae consumed during the first year…
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF)
Baby Milk Action’s readers will be aware of our concerns about the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) and Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) – both of which are part funded by the foundation set up by the software giant, Bill Gates. The…
Have you signed this? If not, act now to safeguard the UN from Conflicts of Interest: July 10-11
Please ask health, human rights or development organisations to endorse the statement calling for effective safeguards against conflicts of interest. Large for-profit corporations and their front groups will be attending the Comprehensive Review and Assessment of the Progress achieved in the Prevention and Control…
NGO concerns about Second International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2)
19 November, 2014 Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00153 Roma, Italy FAO Headquarters, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00153 Roma, Italy CLICK HERE FOR NEW LETTER MTG 11 Julyfinal3 CLICK HERE for background Papers CLICK here for a letter sent from…
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…
EU Health Council highlights breastfeeding and misleading marketing
20th June 2014 The EU Health Council adopted some important Conclusions on Nutrition and Physical Activity on Friday. Because of its importance to the economy, the EU seems to have chosen to ‘persuade’ rather than ‘regulate’ the food industry.’ In our view this overlooks…
UN General Assembly General Assembly: hearing on NCDs
General Assembly: Informal interactive hearing with NGOs, civil society organizations, the private sector and academia on the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) Round Table 2: “Mobilizing whole of society efforts for NCD prevention and control at…
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…
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…