----- Original Message -----
From: "Mike Brady" <[log in to unmask]>
To: "NGOs" <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: 24 October 2000 17:06
Subject: Boycott Nescafe say African and Asian Campaigners
Dear colleague,
We have just posted a press release with the title "African and Asian
campaigners urge support for Nescafé boycott as Nestlé announces increased
baby milk sales" - the text is included below and you can also view it by
going to http://www.babymilkaction.org/ and following the link from the
latest news section of the index page. The website version of the press
release includes links to supporting documents. You can also find pictures
for downloading for articles.
I hope you find this service useful. Do not hesitate to contact me if you
require further information. If you wish to be deleted from this list
please reply with 'delete' in the subject line.
Best wishes,
Mike Brady
--
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Mike Brady
Campaigns and Networking Coordinator
Baby Milk Action
Visit our website http://www.babymilkaction.org/
****YOU CAN NOW ORDER PUBLICATIONS AND MERCHANDISE ON-LINE****
UK contact numbers. Tel: 01223 464420 Fax: 01223 464417
International contact numbers. Tel: +44 1223 464420 Fax: +44 1223 464417
----
---African and Asian campaigners urge support for Nescafé
boycott as Nestlé announces increased baby milk sales
24th October 2000
While Nestlé announces growth in its baby milk sales, campaigners are
highlighting that 1.5 million infants die around the world every year
because they are not breastfed (1). Nestlé is the target of a boycott of its
coffee, confectionery and convenience food products in 19 countries because
it puts its own profits before infant health, aggressively marketing
breastmilk substitutes in ways that violate the International Code of
Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes and subsequent, relevant Resolutions of
the World Health Assembly (2). In the UK the boycott focuses on Nescafé
coffee and is the UK's best supported consumer boycott (3). Pauline Kisanga,
Coordinator of the International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN) in Africa
said: "The Nestlé boycott is very important. It should continue because
Nestlé continues to violate the Code" (4).
Dr. Charles Sagoe-Moses, of the Ghanaian Infant Nutrition Action Network and
Chair of the IBFAN Africa Advisory Committee, spoke of the importance of the
Nestlé boycott in defending infant health (4):
"To me the boycott shows there is global, consistent and systematic
violation of the Code and we use this to tell people that what is happening
here is not unique to Ghana.
The people there are campaigning because they think they have a voice and
they can use their voice to help some people in the developing world who do
not have a voice."
IBFAN works for independent, transparent and effective controls on the baby
food industry and is currently supporting moves for legislation in Pakistan.
Tracey Wagner-Rizvi of the Pakistan IBFAN group said (5): "The boycott is
very important to raise awareness amongst our legislators as Nestlé attempts
to weaken the draft law."
Earlier this year a former Nestlé Pakistan employee, Syed Aamar Raza,
presented documentary evidence in the UK Parliament showing how he was
instructed by company officials to bribe doctors to promote Nestlé baby
milks.
In May 1999 the UK Advertising Standards Authority upheld all of Baby Milk
Action's complaints against a Nestlé anti-boycott advertisement in which the
company claimed to market infant formula "ethically and responsibly."
Saatchi & Saatchi suggested in Marketing Week magazine that Nestlé should
counter the bad publicity by going on offensive showing the benefit of its
donations to charities. Soon afterwards four UK charities (Shelter, Kids
Club Network, Macmillan and British Red Cross) received £250,000 each linked
to promotion of Nescafé. (6)
For further information contact and to arrange interviews with IBFANers
around the world contact:
Mike Brady, Baby Milk Action. Tel: 01223 464420 Website:
www.babymilkaction.org
Notes for Editors
1.Nestlé announced growth in its third-quarter statement on 20th October
(see http://www.nestlepress.com/), stating: "Milks and nutrition saw good
progress, mainly as a result of infant nutrition sales in Asia and of the
powdered milk business." Figure for infant deaths given in numerous
references - for example UNICEF press release 14th January 1997 UNICEF
Responds to Report on Violations of Breastmilk Substitute Code: "Marketing
practices that undermine breastfeeding are potentially hazardous wherever
they are pursued: in the developing world, WHO estimates that some 1.5
million children die each year because they are not adequately breastfed.
These facts are not in dispute."
2.IBFAN consists of over 150 groups in over 90 countries and conducts
monitoring of the baby food industry. Nestlé, which controls about 40% of
the global baby milk market, is found to be responsible for more violations
than any other company and takes the lead in attempting to undermine
government implementation of the International Code and Resolutions. The
report Breaking the Rules, Stretching the Rules 1998, the result of
monitoring in 31 countries is available on the IBFAN website and may be
purchased from Baby Milk Action's Virtual Shop. Baby Milk Action is the UK
IBFAN group. See the "codewatch" section with more recent examples of
violations by Nestlé and other companies. The "resources" section includes
past press release and photos which can be down-loaded for articles.
3.In December 1997 Ethical Consumer Magazine published a survey of its
readership and found that the Nestlé boycott was the best supported boycott
in the UK.
4.Baby Milk Action interviewed IBFANers at the IBFAN Africa Regional Meeting
in Swaziland in September. Video clips of the interviews with Pauline
Kisanga and Charles Sagoe-Moses are available for broadcasters (amateur
film). On 28 February 1998 the French television programme Vrai Jornal
broadcast an interview with Ines Fernandez of IBFAN Philippines in which she
speaks in English of the importance of the boycott and Nestlé's use of
"Health Educators" to promote Nestogen infant formula to mothers in the
community - contact CAPA television +33 1 46061263.
5.The Pakistan IBFAN group, The Network, Association for Rational Use of
Medication in Pakistan, conducted monitoring in 33 cities and published the
report Feeding Fiasco in 1998. In 1999 it published the report Milking
Profits based on the documentary evidence provided by former Nestlé employee
Syed Aamar Raza (both reports are available from the Virtual Shop).
Telephone interviews with The Network and Syed Aamar Raza may be possible.
Contact Baby Milk Action for further information.
6.The Advertising Standards Authority took nearly two years to uphold all of
Baby Milk Action's complaints about Nestlé's anti-boycott advertisement, one
of its longest ever investigations. Its ruling was published on 12th May
2000 after being delayed by a final Nestlé appeal. Marketing Week (11th
February 2000) called the ruling "a first class public relations
disaster.... which effectively brands the global corporation a liar, insofar
as it claimed to have marketed infant formula products ethically." Marketing
Week asked Marjorie Thompson of Saatchi & Saatchi what Nestlé should do:
"She suggests the way to counteract the bad publicity is to go on the
offensive by using advertising showing the benefits of Nestlé's financial
contributions to charities, such as Kids Club Network which provides
after-school care for children." In October 1999 Nestlé announced £1 million
of sponsorship to Kids Club Network, Shelter, Macmillan Cancer Relief and
the British Red Cross, all linked to Nescafé coffee, the principle target of
the boycott. The British Red Cross and Shelter have launched publicity
campaigns which prominently promote Nescafé. While Baby Milk Action does not
wish to undermine the good work being done by the charities involved it
regrets that their deals with Nestlé undermine the boycott.
7.Baby Milk Action, 23 St. Andrew's Street, Cambridge, CB2 3AX. Tel: 01223
464420 Fax: 01223 464417
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