Email update : 29 October 2012

Nestlé offensive against
International Nestlé-Free Week :
29 October - 4 November

It's International Nestlé-Free Week!

Nestlé-Free Week is a time for supporters of the boycott of Nestlé over the way it pushes its baby milk to do more to spread the word and for those who don't boycott to give it a go - at least for a week.

So if someone has told you they would support the boycott, but they can't give up their....[insert product]... ask them to do so for this week at least. They may find they prefer the alternative in any case.

The boycott of Nestlé over its breaking of baby milk marketing rules forces some changes in company policies and practices. However, executives try to counter the boycott to continue with business as usual as much as possible. So last Friday Nestlé made an announcement about KitKat to try to gain some good publicity during Nestlé-Free Week (see below).

Nestlé has also set up a special centre for tracking comments about the company online during the last year so its agents can jump in when the company is criticised.

According to a report from Reuters, Nestlé's centre monitors millions of posts each day on topics of interest to Nestlé.

"If there is a negative issue emerging, it turns red," says Blackshaw [head of Nestlé's Digital Accelaration Team], indicating a screen." Help to turn the screens red by spreading the word about the Nestlé boycott and Nestlé-Free Week. Resources to help you:

• Facebook event - show your support by saying you are attending and invite your Facebook friends - click here.

On the Nestlé-Free Week page:
http://info.babymilkaction.org/nestlefreeweek

• A Nestlé-Free Zone poster to display in shops and workplaces.
• Put the Nestlé-Free Zone poster in your window during Halloween if this is marked in your country.
• Nestlé-Free labels for bags of candy during Halloween.
• Logos to mark you website or blog as a Nestlé-Free Zone.
• The Nestlé boycott product list and cards to share with friends and family.
• How to explain the boycott in 30 seconds. Post to discussion groups. Write to the media.
• The MyMeter iPhone app - a fun way to raise the boycott.
• Send a message to Nestlé telling it you will continue to boycott until it stops breaking the rules.

Also visit our online Virtual Shop for the Fight the Nestlé monster t-shirt and shopping bag and other resources:
http://archive.babymilkaction.org/shop

Nestlé Fairtrade KitKat strategy

Nestlé launched a media strategy last Friday (26 October) to try to undermine International Nestlé-Free Week.

It announced that its 2-finger KitKat will have the Fairtrade mark - but not until January 2013. Clearly the timing of the announcement is an attempt to gain some good publicity during Nestlé-Free Week.

While the Fairtrade scheme benefits the farmers involved, Nestlé's has failed to deliver on its 2001 commitment to end child slavery and child labour in its cocoa supply chain by 2006.

Even doubling its purchase of cocoa through the Fairtrade scheme will only account for about 2.6% of Nestlé's cocoa purchase (9,600 tonnes out of about 364,000 tonnes).

According to the statements from Nestlé and the Fairtrade Foundation a total of 7,000 farmers will now provide cocoa for KitKat under the Fairtrade scheme, up from the 6,000 reported in 2009 when only the 4-finger KitKat had the Fairtrade mark (though, curiously, the latest statements have reduced the number of farmers involved in 4-finger KitKat to 2,500).

For further information and Baby Milk Action's leaflet "Why boycott Nestlé Fairtrade KitKat" see:
http://info.babymilkaction.org/pressrelease/
pressrelease28oct12

For the Nestlé-Free Week page:
http://info.babymilkaction.org/nestlefreeweek

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