Dear Boycotters,

Yet another example of how Nestlé willfully endangers to health of young people around the world has surfaced.  In Russia, the company produces a workbook for 4^th year schoolchildren entitled Programme about Correct Nutrition.  The book has been used by thousands of Russian kids, and similar materials are published by Nestlé in other countries.  Unfortunately, the nutrition advice Nestlé gives is blatantly self-serving and is clearly intended to create healthy profit margins, not healthy children.  Page 55 of the book depicts a little girl going off to school.  The text is translated as follows:  

Girl:  Mum, I have an exam today.  I should take with me a bigger sandwich…  

Mom:  Before an exam it would be best to eat a piece of chocolate, but not a sandwich.  Sweet would help you handle the difficult exercises.  You should eat the piece of chocolate seperately, not after the sandwich.

It would be nice to say that in publishing this ‘educational’ book, Nestlé has sunk to a new low.  But unfortunately, this type of aggressive, self-serving misinformation is typical of the company and is in fact a mainstay of their advertising in all sectors.  The corporation constantly tries to pass off its infant formula advertising as unbiased medical information, with disastrous consequences for mothers and babies. 

Russia is a poor country, and its children have a hard time getting adequate nutrition as it is.  Instead of helping the situation, Nestlé, the world’s largest chocolate producer, tells them to eat chocolate for lunch.  It is yet another example of how Nestlé deliberately and systematically puts profits over the health and well-being of the public.  

 Click below to see a scanned copy of the book:

http://www.babymilkaction.org/pdfs/nestlerussia04.pdf

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