Oh those formula companies -- here's a new one (to me at least)

[TattoMomK]

A bunch of my fellow Catholic ladies and I got to discussing formula. I was educatin' about how immoral/unethical Nestle's marketing techniques are. Somebody popped in with the fact her sister works for Wyeth (makers of an off-branded formula sold at Kroegers and Smiths) and received an entire YEARS WORTH OF FORMULA FOR FREE -- AS A BABY GIFT.

Apparently Wyeth gives all employees who become new parents an entire YEAR of formula for free. Wanna bet Mead Johnson, Ross, and Nestle do it too?

What really gets me is how hard nursing CAN be for a first time mom, and instead of staring down one can of free formula you are looking at a year of it for free? How many bf'ing relationships has that kind of "generosity" tanked? It makes me so angry, and naturally they want their employees using their formula, it would be bad advertising if they didn't use it. But thinking about it, I wonder when this program started? At the height of formula feeding? The pharm-co's didn't want their employees using the competitors brands maybe? How hard is it to work there as a woman and be told the product is just as good as breast milk? It makes me wonder how accommodating they are to bf'ing moms who have to pump? Can you imagine the stress on your career?

Which makes me wonder if areas where the formula factories are located have predominant use of the formula created there? That would be an interesting demographic to research huh?

Is it a violation of WHO or IBFAN to do this to their own employees?

Would anyone be interested in a petition to get them to stop?

Oh and as a final note, I haven't been here for a while -- I missed you ladies! Hope all is well.

[TattoMomK]

I tried finding out where some formulas are made and found this:

http://www.soop.ca/stories/similac.html

Hmmmm where it's made is not public knowledge?

[CherryBomb]

Yep, I've heard that before. They certainly don't want their employees breastfeeding or using a competitor's formula.

Yuck.

[evlu]

Along the same lines... I work in a hospital and we were once told in a hospital-wide meeting that one of the "benefits" to employees with kids in the hospital day-care center was free formula during the day.

[rmzbm]

Wow...a whole yrs. worth, hu? I see alot of babies with no chance...

[menomena]

Originally Posted by evlu

Along the same lines... I work in a hospital and we were once told in a hospital-wide meeting that one of the "benefits" to employees with kids in the hospital day-care center was free formula during the day.

yuck. how about i bring in pumped milk (and drop in on my lunch) and you discount me the cost of the formula my baby would have used. sheesh.

[BetsyS]

I used to work in a small town L&D, and if we had needed formula, one of our reps would get it for us for free. Deliver it to your house and everything.

None of the nurses I worked with ever formula fed, though. I think we had one adoptive mom that formula fed. Everyone else breastfed nad pumped for at least a year.

[PapayaMom]

Bristol Myers (enfamil) gives all employees a year of free formula delivered to their door. However they have a good maternity leave program, at least for US standards, and offer pumping rooms and ample time to pump. My friend who works there even is able to go home on her dinner break and take as long as she needs to nurse and put her baby to bed.

So at least they are generous to the nursing moms too.

[mamajake]

Finally got around to reading Working Mother magazine' issue on the 100 Best Companies to work for in 2007 (read "most family friendly companies"). In the pull-out chart, there is a line for providing "access to private lactation rooms." Wyeth is listed as providing that access to at least 75% of its employees (female I assume) which is the highest rating. Abbott (maker of Similac) and Bristol-Meyers Squib (makers of Enfamil) also report offering private lactation rooms to at least 75% of its employees.

Go figure.

[menomena]

Originally Posted by mamajake

Finally got around to reading Working Mother magazine' issue on the 100 Best Companies to work for in 2007 (read "most family friendly companies"). In the pull-out chart, there is a line for providing "access to private lactation rooms." Wyeth is listed as providing that access to at least 75% of its employees (female I assume) which is the highest rating. Abbott (maker of Similac) and Bristol-Meyers Squib (makers of Enfamil) also report offering private lactation rooms to at least 75% of its employees.

Go figure.

over compensating for all the nursing relationships they ruin with they terrible marketing practices, maybe?

(For the record, of course, I think ALL companies should offer lactation rooms to all lactating employees. I think all companies should have great maternity leave and flexibility for parents.)

[mamajake]

Originally Posted by menomena

(For the record, of course, I think ALL companies should offer lactation rooms to all lactating employees. I think all companies should have great maternity leave and flexibility for parents.)

Fer sure.

And I am more than a little suspicious of what they mean by "private lactation rooms." IBM is on the list as well and the description in "The Milk Memos" of what they had - a freezing converted janitor's closet - certainly leaves more than a little to be desired. And some of the perks boasted about by some companies - three whole extra weeks of paid maternity leave at PriceWaterhouseCooper bringing it up to nine weeks total paid - border on laughable. I applaud going beyond what is legally required but going so far as to classify these things as truly making a "family friendly workplace" is pushing it. The piece on a few Latin American countries was pretty interesting - 120 days of paid maternity leave for all workers in Brazil and in Argentina three months paid maternity leave followed by two daily hour long nursing (not pumping, nursing) breaks per day for the following year.

[sapphire_chan]

From http://www.who.int/nutrition/publica...e_english.pdf:
"Where donated supplies of infant formula or other products within the scope of
this Code are distributed outside an institution, the institution or organization should
take steps to ensure that supplies can be continued as long as the infants concerned
need them. Donors, as well as institutions or organizations concerned, should bear in
mind this responsibility."

I wonder if they're only offering the free formula to people who use formula?
If they're going to give samples at all, they're being pretty responsible to actually maintain the supplies for a year.

Do they give samples in other situations? Are samples of their products handed out at doctor's offices, hospitals? Do coupons for their products come to all women who buy products at various stores?

[meganmarie]

By contrast, Johnson & Johnson (which does not make formula) offers dramtically discounted Medela pumps and access to free certified lactation consultants by phone after birth to all employees. My friend is MARRIED to someone who works at a J&J subsidiary, and she got access to this! Pretty cool.

[Turkish Kate]

Originally Posted by PapayaMom

Bristol Myers (enfamil) gives all employees a year of free formula delivered to their door. However they have a good maternity leave program, at least for US standards, and offer pumping rooms and ample time to pump. My friend who works there even is able to go home on her dinner break and take as long as she needs to nurse and put her baby to bed.

So at least they are generous to the nursing moms too.

Of course they are, they have a financial stake. Breastfed babies are sick less often, moms lose less work time, and have increased productivity. Of course they want their *employees* to breastfeed, it's just good business. The only financial stake they have in the rest of the world is to encourage them to consume their products. :

[mamajake]

Originally Posted by sapphire_chan

From http://www.who.int/nutrition/publica...e_english.pdf:
"Where donated supplies of infant formula or other products within the scope of
this Code are distributed outside an institution, the institution or organization should
take steps to ensure that supplies can be continued as long as the infants concerned
need them. Donors, as well as institutions or organizations concerned, should bear in
mind this responsibility."

I wonder if they're only offering the free formula to people who use formula?
If they're going to give samples at all, they're being pretty responsible to actually maintain the supplies for a year.

Do they give samples in other situations? Are samples of their products handed out at doctor's offices, hospitals? Do coupons for their products come to all women who buy products at various stores?

As to Wyeth, I think the product they sell in the US is a generic of sorts (SMA which I have never seen samples of and is sold mostly in the UK). Their WHO Code violations are more infamous in other countries - like the contaminated cans in the Phillipines last year. For the latest on Wyeth dirty deeds: http://www.babymilkaction.org/CEM/cemjune07.html

[FREEmom1120]

Originally Posted by Turkish Kate

Of course they are, they have a financial stake. Breastfed babies are sick less often, moms lose less work time, and have increased productivity. Of course they want their *employees* to breastfeed, it's just good business. The only financial stake they have in the rest of the world is to encourage them to consume their products. :

Actually the time taken from work hours to pump for 12 months added up might be less than the days out with a sick baby. Just a thought.

[SashaBear]

Enfamil is made about an hour from here. That's what all the hospitals use. When DD was in the NICU and had to have formula ( I couldn't be there with her and couldn't pump anything), she got Enfamil. I have also heard from my LLL leaders that the IBCLCs in that area are paid by Enfamil. Not sure if that's true or not.

[Ruthla]

Originally Posted by TattoMomK

Is it a violation of WHO or IBFAN to do this to their own employees?

I'm not familiar with IBFAN, but it's most definitely NOT a violation of the WHO code. The WHO is concerned with babies being fed, period. The problem with most formula marketing (a few free cans) is that they give the free formula, mom's milk dries up, then the family can't afford to buy more formula, so the baby starves (or drinks diluted formula, or the rest of the family starves so they can buy formula, etc.)

If you're giving the full year's worth of formula, then those aren't concerns. The WHO code specifies that, if you're going to give out ANY free formula, you have to give enough to cover until the child is weaned.

I wonder if those companies give alternatives to families who choose to BF- year's supply of Ensure for mom, for example. Or if it would be against any rules to sell that formula rather than feed it to your own baby.

[mamajake]

Originally Posted by SashaBear

Enfamil is made about an hour from here. That's what all the hospitals use. When DD was in the NICU and had to have formula ( I couldn't be there with her and couldn't pump anything), she got Enfamil. I have also heard from my LLL leaders that the IBCLCs in that area are paid by Enfamil. Not sure if that's true or not.

True IBCLCs (as opposed to other certifications or simply those who call themselves "lactation consultants") can not receive any funding from formula companies. WHO Code compliance is also something that threatens their certification. There was a rather big deal made some years back when a breastfeeding book written by an IBCLC or being promoted by an IBCLC (can't remember which one now but I think it was published by the AAP) had a book tour financed by Ross Labs.

[mamajake]

IBFAN is the International Baby Food Action Network http://www.ibfan.org/site2005/Pages/index2.php?iui=1 which is a consortium of non-profits which monitors infant feeding practices internationally, in particular the WHO Code and Code violations.