Nestle has a booth at the conference this week...

[orangebird]

I have been going to an AWHONN convention/conference this week, (association for women's health, obstetrics, and neonatal nurses-or something like that) and Nestle is one of the exhibitors. They have tons of "educational" stuff, pamphlets, formula samples, etc set up at their booth. When I walk by I just fume. I want to stop so bad but I know I will have nothing at all positive to say. I want to ask WHY they are still doing all their underhanded crap in other countries killing babies, and continuing in this country to advertise like they do. I want to stop and ask sooooo bad. But is this the wrong time and place to get into such a confrontation? Maybe the people working the booth don't even know about it, maybe they are just ignorrant of the whole situation. I feel compelled to approach them but a little afraid at the same time. Is it appropriate? Inappropriate? I know I won't change Nestle's practices by little old me talking to a product rep at a booth, YK? But ARRRGHH!! I am just so pissed, I can't believe they have the balls to even set up a booth at a convention supposed to be geared towards health and helping women and babies. WWYD? The conference goes on until Wednesday.

[Meiri]

Oh, they know. They know very well. If the company shelf stocker at our Giant Eagle knows about the boycott and what the problems are, those people know too.

Heck, even the Nestle company "dieticians" know all about it. Won't actually answer questions, but they know.

What *I* would ask is how increasing women's risks of breast cancer by sabotaging breastfeeding and damning it with faint praise (as the lit I've seen from such as them does) promotes women's health.

[Fiercemama]

It might be too late for this year, but what I'd do is get yourself a boycott button or sticker. That way you can perhaps educate some people who might not be aware of their horrendous business practices, and let the Nestle people at the show know that you see what they're doing.

[orangebird]

OK, I just got back and LMAO the funniest thing happenned. I was walking over there all set to have a "talk" with the person, I turn the corner, and it is a friend of mine working the booth! I totally forgot she was working for Nestle Good Start now. Her and I have had all the discussions before so she knows how I feel so we just hung out, I called her evil (in a joking way of course, I love this girl) and talked about other stuff instead. The only thing I can't convince her of is that Nestle is still doing crappy things especially in the third world countries. She is convinced they stopped all of that stuff 30 years ago. She insists they stopped sabotaging mothers breastfeeding 30 years ago. She says they no longer do ANYTHING in other countries. They only place, she says, they advertise or give samples is in the US and that they don't even distribute information, advertise, or anything in our boarder states (like Texas, Arizona, the lower half of CA, etc) so that information about formula won't accidentally make it across the boarder. She seems to think Nestle is actually the most compliant and the only ones who worked with the WHO on this BF stuff. Now, we totally disagree. She is so insistent though. Urgh. Where can I get current information about Nestle's current practices? She wants me to email her proof. Where is the best info? I think I have all kinds of the typical links bookmarked, but I want to make sure I get her updated recent information.

[orangebird]

I've been looking all over babymilkaction.org this afternoon and can't seem to find anything that really points out what they are actually still doing now. I reeeeally want to find the right sources to send her. Otherwise everything I have believed and been telling people that is still going on I have no proof of, I don't like talking smack if I can't back it up. Ugh!

So as far as I can tell, they are still advertising (not good, but it doesn't bother me as much as the free samples, reps dressed as nurses, the stuff they used to do that totally sabotages BF) but are they not giving the formula to third world moms anymore? I can't find any info that they still are, just a few issues with wrong language on cans, product placement in supermarkets, and some advertisements. Is this as much as they are doing wrong anymore? Again, not that it's good, but I thought they were still doing the really bad stuff.

[Finch]

Well this irks me, and I'm an AWHONN member. : Quite frankly, I think it's something that should be taken up with the AWHONN president and whomever is in charge of the conferences. Yes, I'm sure there are plenty of people who will balk because they like their free pens and pads and bags and all that crap. But I'd bet you'd find plenty who agree with you, esp. the members who are LC's.

That's like Phillip Morris having a booth at a pediatric nursing conference.

[Fiercemama]

Well, I'm across the border (in Canada) and I can tell you they are doing everything against code here too.

I haven't read it, but I might recommend "Milk Money and Madness" if you want some history on the code.

My understanding is that it was created BEFORE Nestle was in the formula market, and yes, the formula companies did participate in its creation. Then Nestle came along, biggest food manufacturer in the world, totally disregarded the code, so all the other formula companies jumped ship to in order to compete.

I also know people who seem to think that the boycott led Nestle to change their practices in the third world, and now they are squeeky clean. Isn't it bad enough what they are doing in the developed world? I realize that mothers in the developing world are perhaps more vulnerable than mums here, but somehow what they do here is even more insidious.

[Momtwice]

Did you try InFact Canada?

[Momtwice]

http://www.babymilkaction.org/pages/campaign.html

[orangebird]

Originally Posted by Finch

Well this irks me, and I'm an AWHONN member. : Quite frankly, I think it's something that should be taken up with the AWHONN president and whomever is in charge of the conferences. Yes, I'm sure there are plenty of people who will balk because they like their free pens and pads and bags and all that crap. But I'd bet you'd find plenty who agree with you, esp. the members who are LC's.

That's like Phillip Morris having a booth at a pediatric nursing conference.

I don't think AWHONN would care. They have all the other formula reps there, I don't think they would single out Nestle. They will never ban the formula companies. They (AWHONN) are so mainstream and down with the ACOG. If they were to ben all the companies that sold/did things that were harmful to moms and babies they would have no exhibitors or advertisers in JOGGN. I mean alot of the workshops/sessions, for example, were good, but alot of it is the same old BS as ever, YK? There were alot of awsome exhibitors there too, so I'm not trying to say that they are bad and the whole thing sucked or anything, I hope I'm not coming across that way. But I really don't think they would single out Nestle compared to Ross and Mead Johnson, especially how well Nestle is doing with all their PR, there is no way AWHONN would separate them out from the others.

[Meiri]

The thing I have about Nestle is that they may very well be following the Code in developing countries as they claim, BUT DON'T THE BABIES IN "MODERN" COUNTRIES DESERVE TO HAVE THEIR BREASTFEEDING NOT BE SABOTAGED TOO???????!!!!!!

That's my problem with them.

[Momtwice]

Originally Posted by mara

They (AWHONN) are so mainstream and down with the ACOG.

I just did a google search of this phrase:

ACOG formula advertising

and found some great links.

Such as this
http://www.greenjournal.org/cgi/cont...ract/81/6/1048

distribution of formula or vouchers in the physician's office during the antepartum period places the physician in the position of advertising or promoting a specific product and of potentially contributing to the failure of some patients to nurse their infants. We urge physicians not to distribute formula or formula vouchers to their pregnant patients, and encourage local and national obstetrics organizations to consider devising and discussing a policy statement discouraging such practices.

from Obstetrics and Gynecology