Shelf talkers and mother stalkers
Desperate attempts to gain
market share for an inferior product
Mead Johnson's killer formula
Mead Johnson recently re
called 7,000 cases of its
soy-based formula, Prosobee. The product containing the adult
nutritional Sustacal, was mislabelled as Prosobee. The factory
mix-up would be a dangerous cocktail of excessive protein and
sodium, if this adult formula were fed to young infants for any
length of time and could lead to serious dehydration.
Another hazard of not breastfeeding…
Formula industry undermining WHO efforts in Kosovo
Despite the WHO's directives and the support of international
aid agencies for no formula and infant feeding product donations
to refugees, the companies are dumping huge amounts of these
products in the reopened Kosovo. Aid agencies have consistently
refused them in their efforts to protect breastfeeding in these
vulnerable situations. The industry has now turned to private
physician offices in their attempts to hook infants on formula
and jarred baby foods.
In Scandinavia you ask?
A business magazine in Denmark recently awarded Nestlé
its Business Award for "countering breastfeeding".
The Best of Europe Award for Big Brand Direct Marketing went
to Nestlé for its Parent Club marketing.
According to the business magazine, Danish health authorities
are effective in promoting breastfeeding and the majority of
mothers breastfeed their babies. Because health workers are suspicious
of the "communications" of companies like Nestlé,
it decided to target mothers directly. Nestlé placed ads
and inserts in the Danish magazine "Parents and Children";
held quarterly promotional campaigns in supermarkets; and placed
information about their baby clubs in hospitals and maternity
clinics. In less than a year the membership to Nestlé
Parents Club rose from 10 per cent to 75 per cent of Danish parents.
WHO please note.
TVO sucks on Mead Johnson teat
Mead Johnson sponsorships of TVO programmes violate the International
Code. The "sponsorship" sounds more like an advert
and is placed at the beginning and at the end of a show. The
offensive promos show a can of Enfalac AR and invites parents
who are worried about babies "spitting up" to call
a toll free number. Kevin McKaye who bills himself responsible
for TVO's underwriting and sponsorship, claims that as long as
the promos are not run with children's programmes they do not
violate the International Code. Is he missing something? Let
him know what you think at kmckaye@tvo.org
Ultra Awful!
Ultra Food Mart was recently caught in a major code violation.
A mother of a breastfeeding 14 month old reports the Food Mart
to be handing out free samples of infant formula and baby food.
The mother was handed a Baby Steps box containing Enfalac and
Nestlé baby cereal. At the exit there was a huge display
of these products. Ultramar is a subsidiary of A&P, which
is a subsidiary of…
Let them know what you think! Call the toll free number at
1 800 268-2564 or write to: A&P,
5559 Dundas Street West, Etobicoke, ON M9B 1B9
Mead Johnson targets pregnant women
Andrea Grice Levy, a midwifery student, is outraged at Mead
Johnson. Earlier this year, while expecting her first baby, she
received formula samples from M.J. on two different occasions.
She immediately passed these on to Allan Rock, Canada's Minister
of Health as well as a copy of the letter she wrote to M.J.
A few weeks later a response arrived from M.J.'s Elaine Sylvestre.
"You might be interested in what M.J. has to say about breastfeeding
and formula. As you can imagine I was outraged and insulted",
writes Ms Grice Levy who has since given birth to daughter Mischa.
Excerpts from the mendacious M.J. letter:
We fully support the aims and objectives of the WHO Code
in all countries in which we do business. All our marketing activities
promote the importance of breastfeeding, the role of health care
professionals …and the importance of making informed supplement
choices…Our intent is not to persuade mothers to bottle-feed,
nor to suggest in anyway formula feeding is superior, easier,
less costly or more socially adaptable.
Excuse me?
Boycott Nestlé! Breastfeed!
From the E-mail of Catherine Young, The Complete Mother comes
the following:
Tell Nestlé there is nothing sweet about
sending new mothers free formula samples by mail in Canada.
Say no to Nestlé's Turtles, Kit Kat, Coffee Crisp, Smarties,
Aero, Butterfingers, Black Magic, After Eight and more…
Welcome Wagon weaning off formula
INFACT Canada has received some encouraging news from Welcome
Wagon's Ann Tatangelo. In a communiqué received May 18,
1999, Tatangelo writes, "as of June 30th, 1999
our contractual agreements with Mead Johnson and Nestlé
will end and will not be renewed." Welcome Wagon now has
a corporate statement of intent to be in compliance with the
Code by July 1, 1999. Over the next seven months the company
plans to: |
