| Take action to stop these violations of the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes. The people responsible have names and addresses - call on them to market their products ethically.
The tables below give details of some recent violations. The date when the violation was last reported to Baby Milk Action or confirmed to be current is given. The violation reference is for Baby Milk Action's records. Please quote it if forwarding correspondence to us, if possible.
Nestlé prepares £2 million assault on UK baby food market
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Company
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Item
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Date
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Violation Reference
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Nestlé
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Planned direct mail to mothers
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October 1999
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comp/99/16
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Background:
Nestlé has launched a range of complementary ("weaning" foods) in the UK. The Junior range of foods uses the Blue Bear logo familiar in many other countries. A younger version of the bear is used to promote Nestlé's Cerelac, for example. Nestlé is planning to spend as much in the last four months of 1999 on its media campaign promoting the products in the UK as each of its main competitors will spend in the whole year. A major part of Nestlé's plan is direct marketing to mothers - 200,000 mothers are due to be mailed in October. Nestlé received a business award in 1997 for its success in countering the Danish Government's breastfeeding promotion campaign by using such methods (see Boycott News 21).
Nestlé also markets infant formula and other breastmilk substitutes in the UK, but has not yet embarked on a widescale promotional campaign for these. It has been building links with healthworkers, however, by offering them free gifts and sponsoring events. Baby Milk Action fears that Nestlé will use the database of names and links it is building to promote its breastmilk substitutes and infant foods in the future. Nestlé was asked by Baby Milk Action to give an undertaking that it will abide by all relevant Resolutions of the World Health Assembly in the UK now and in the future and pointedly failed to do so.
Write to the men responsible - Mr. Peter Blackburn, Chief Executive, Nestlé (UK), St. George's House, Croydon, Surrey, CR9 1NR. Fax: +44 (0)181 681 3516 (Copy to Mr. Peter Brabeck, Chief Executive Officer, Nestlé, 55, av. Nestlé, 1800 Vevey, Switzerland. Fax: +41 21 922 6334):
Nestlé markets breastmilk substitutes such as al110 in the UK and has recently launched the Junior range of baby foods. Article 5.5 of the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes states: "Marketing personnel, in their business capacity, should not seek direct or indirect contact of any kind with pregnant women or with mothers of infants and young children." Nestlé staff have broken this requirement by meeting with mothers at the Prima Baby Care show at Earls Court Olympia on 28-30th August. Nestlé staff also induced parents to give their contact details by offering a chance to win a £500 voucher. Mailing parents will further violate Article 5.5 of the International Code. Will Nestlé give an undertaking to cancel its planned direct mailings?
Nestlé is reportedly sponsoring Tumbletots play groups. Any attempt to make direct or indirect contact with mothers through this route will be a violation of Article 5.5. Will Nestlé give an undertaking to abide by this Article in all respects?
Will Nestlé give an undertaking to abide by the International Code and Resolutions in their entirety in the UK market?
Danone response on Gabon untrue?
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Company
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Item
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Date
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Violation Reference
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Danone
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Free samples distributed at health facilities
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July 1999
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comp/99/16
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Background:
On the April 1999 Campaign for Ethical Marketing action sheet we reported how our IBFAN partners in Gabon had called on the French company, Danone, to stop distribution of free samples of its Gallia ready-to-use formula at health facilities.
Write to the man responsible - Mr. Franck Riboud, Chief Executive, Danone Group, Head Office, 7 rue de Téhéran, 75008 Paris, France. Fax: +33 142256716
Danone has been asked to stop distribution of free samples of Gallia ready-to-feed formula at health facilities in Gabon. Danone has responded by claiming: "Danone International Brands does not export any samples of Ready To Feed Gallia (90 ml plastic bottle), and neither of our two local pharmaceutical distributors (Pharmagabon and Copharga) order any of the above samples."
There is photographic evidence of such samples, bearing the stamp "A02 24 AVR 99". Will Danone trace how these products came to be in Gabon and ensure this does not happen again? Distribution of free samples for promotional purposes is banned by Article 5.3 and Article 7.4 of the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes. Will Danone give an undertaking to stop manufacture of such samples immediately or explain what legitimate reason it has for producing them?
Abbott Similac advertised on television in Israel
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Company
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Item
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Date
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Violation Reference
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Abbott
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Television advertisement.
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August 1999
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comp/99/18
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Key points for letters to the man responsible: Mr. Duane L Burnham, Chief Executive Officer, Abbott Laboratories, 1 Abbott Park Road, Abbott Park, IL 60064-3500, USA. Fax: +1 847 938 1342
Advertisements for Similac breastmilk substitutes have been broadcast on television in Israel. The highly emotive advertisements show idealizing pictures of bottle-feeding. This is a flagrant violation of the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes. Article 5.1 states: "There should be no advertising or other form of promotion to the general public of products within the scope of this Code."
Will Abbott ensure that no advertisements for Similac appear again? Will Abbott give an undertaking to abide by the requirements of the International Code and other relevant Resolutions adopted by the World Health Assembly in all of its marketing activities in Israel?
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