Nestle Free Zone

I am trying to live a Nestle free life. Nestle. Yes, that Nestle. Makers of such goodness as Butterfinger, Hot Pockets, and Haagen-Dazs.

So why would I want to boycott such a tasty company? Well, strap in. It is kind of a long story.

Nestle is also the maker of a little thing called Nestle Good Start, which is artificial baby milk (further known as ABM, aka formula). Now I'm not quite insane enough to hold it against them for simply making formula. There are always women who need it (last I read, about 3% of women physically can't breastfeed). It is the way Nestle has marketed its ABM on a global scale that has had lactivists in a tizzy since the 1970s.

According to many sources, Nestle is (or was) doing dirty deeds in the marketing department, specifically in Africa. There are many reports of "nurses" (who are actually just women working for Nestle) going into African hospitals and giving breastfeeding "advice" (you can imagine how good it is) and free samples. They keep supplying "advice" and free samples until mom's milk supply is gone. Then, WHOOPS!, the free samples also dry up and now mom has to buy the formula.

As you can imagine, this can cause some problems in most of Africa, where poverty is so rampant. First of all, formula costs money. These poor women are now forced to buy ABM thanks to the underhanded marketing that Nestle practices. This often causes another big problem: watered down formula. This really doesn't sound so bad, but it can be really harmful. Infants who get watered down ABM aren't getting all the nutrients they need in the right concentrations. Formula is very specifically manufactured and tampering with it can be devastating.

Along with those problems, you have a water supply and cleanliness issue. Poverty stricken countries typically don't have great infrastructure, which tends to lead to things like lack of easily accessible water or dirty water. Many infants have died because of formula usage in Africa.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has actually issued guidelines for the marketing of
ABM. The recommendation was made in 1981. Obviously the US does not participate.

Nestle now claims that they are in full compliance with the code, but who knows. I doubt their self reporting.

As for my household and the boycott, I do what I can. It seems Nestle owns so much and every once and a while I stumble across something that they own and I had no idea. For example, I have a package of Hot Pockets (Jake's lunch food of choice) in the freezer. Lamespice for sure.

By far the hardest thing to avoid has been Gerber products. Yes, they own Gerber too. *sigh* So far I haven't been able to find freeze dried yogurt bites in any other brand, so Jack has had to do without. Which is a real pity, b/c he loves those things. To further complicate matters, in the big town of Mountain Home Gerber is pretty much it. Even Wal-Mart only carries a few items made by Parent's Choice or Beech Nut. The toddler feeding area is by far Gerber dominated.

Like I said, I'm doing what I can.