I know that this image is not nice, but it is not meant to be because the Fact is that Nestle are again aggressively promoting their formula milk on mothers who live in impoverished conditions.
Nestle came under attack in the 1970's when it emerged that they were promoting formula milk to mothers living in third world countries who did not have access to clean water and could not afford to actually feed their children the recommended amount they needed in order to mature.
A lot of mothers were advised whilst in hospital to bottle feed instead of breast feed, so by the time they got discharged breast feeding was not an option as both mother and baby would find it very difficult, after missing out on the natural instinct that comes after birth and the hormones that are released between both to aid with this natural bonding and the babies ability to latch on.
In 1974 a booklet called The Baby Killer, published by the British NGO War On Want was released, it is an investigation into the sale and promotion of powered formula milks in the Third World. Of course Nestle sued and of course Nestle won. Here's a link to that great booklet http://archive.babymilkaction.org/pdfs/babykiller.pdf which contains a lot of detailed information about how powered milk was being promoted and the effects it had.
“The last two decades have been characterised by the expansion of the activities of infant food firms into less developed countries, with competitive advertising campaigns,SO that unaffordable, high-status, processed
milks have been thrust upon unprepared communities.These high-pressure advertising campaigns employ all available channels and media making use of modern techniques of motivation and persuasion. In some places
firms employ "milk nurses”to make home visits and to attend clinics to promote sales further.”
The companies which use nurses(sometimes qualified,sometimes not) say that their function is “educational,”
They are supposed to give nutritional advice and instruction to mothers rather than just sell their company’s product
It took until 1981 for the World Health Assembly to come up with and implement the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes which called on restrictions on promoting formula milk so that mothers did not become discouraged from breastfeeding. This included how It was now forbidden for any healthcare facility to promote formula milk and manufacturers are not allowed to offer any incentives to health care professions in order to promote their product.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Code_of_Marketing_of_Breast-milk_Substitutes
Then in 2003 it was exposed how Nestle and Danone where at it again, this time advertising formula milk and baby food as the modern way to raise your children, introducing the idea that breastfeeding was backward and old fashioned compared to formula feeding. The Independent published an article called
Nestlé 'breaking code on baby milk for Third World' on the 17th January 2003, which cited that
Western companies including Nestlé and Danone are accused today of breaching an internationally agreed code on the promotion of baby milk in the developing world, which is contributing to the deaths of thousands of children.
Every 30 seconds, campaigners claim, a baby dies from unsafe bottle feeding. Yet despite the marketing code and an international boycott of the companies involved over more than 20 years, the trade continues.
Now fast forward to 2018, the Guardian newspaper printed an article called 'How formula milk firms target mothers who can least afford it', seriously this is still happening and they have been getting away with it.
And as a result babies are not receiving enough milk because mothers can not afford to buy it and as a result they are becoming malnourished. And once again mothers with out access to clean running water are being advised to buy formula milk and not breastfeed by representatives of the companies and by health professionals.
Within this article they also describe how the companies,( Nestle at the fore front) are using aggressive tactics to promote and advertise their milk. It has been bring to light that Representatives from Nestlé, Abbott, Mead Johnson and Wyeth (now owned by Nestlé) are a constant presence within hospitals in the Philippines. They are there handing out pamphlets to mothers which look like “infant nutrition” pamphlets but actually are promotional ones which include discount coupons for their formula milk.
A Guardian/Save the Children investigation in some of the most deprived areas of the Philippines found that Nestlé and three other companies were offering doctors, midwives and local health workers free trips to lavish conferences, meals, tickets to shows and the cinema and even gambling chips, earning their loyalty. This is a clear violation of Philippine law.
I understand that breastfeeding is not always an option for some women, but when you can not afford to buy any substitute and have no access to clean water in which to safely make up the milk, then breastfeeding should be strongly encouraged and supported. Instead money is being put first over the well being of Lives, of babies.
