The Nestle Boycott

Last Friday, I had a day off from work to entertain some relatives who had come to visit. I am not home much on weekdays, and I don't see daytime TV, for which I am grateful. The TV was on to the morning shows while we all prepared for a trip to the park, and I was not particularly impressed by what I saw. I was very surprised to see an advertisement for Nestle Baby Formula.

I thought Nestle had given up the US baby formula market in the late 1970s. At that time the World Health Organization (yes, all the neo-cons will tell you the WHO is bad) reported on Nestle's practice of distributing breast-milk substitute in African villages which led to the death by malnutrition of thousands of babies. An international boycott forced Nestle's hand and they got really quiet in the USA for a long time.

Nestle invented baby formula in the early part of the 20th century and it has saved the lives of many, many infants who may have died without it because their mothers were unable to provide breastmilk. Formula is actually a wonderful invention.

In the 1970s, Nestle wanted to increase sales of their breast-milk substitute and embarked on an amazingly disgusting campaign. It basically worked like this:

Nestle would hire sales representatives in rural Africa, dress them in white suits and dresses like doctors and nurses, and provide a truckload of free formula to the local clinic (which truly needed it) as charity.

In return, the representatives were allowed access to new mothers as potential consumers. They would explain to the mothers that their poor diet could mean insufficient nutrients for their infants from breastmilk (even though these humans had been surviving with breastmilk for 5,000 years).

They explained that breastmilk substitute (formula) provided far greater nutrition (absolutely true, no argument).

They then provided the new mother with a one-month supply of powdered formula and showed her how to prepare it. The new mothers went happily home with their new miracle formula that would make big strong children.

When the formula ran out, the families learned that a month's supply of the powder cost more than a month's salary of their meager slave wages.

Mothers began diluting the formula, even thought they had been specifically told not to do so; but, their breastmilk was dried-up and they needed to stretch the formula to make it last. What was the option?

The local hospital filled with sobbing mothers and children suffering from malnutrition.

As the months went by, the numbers of dead and dying infants rose exponentially and within a year the World Health Organization was spending a fortune trying to rescue a generation of aborigine children.

Eventually the Western press covered the story and people throughout the developed world were shocked. Churches and political organizations began educating their communities about the horror, and an international boycott (focused primarily on Nescafe Instant Coffee) began.

By the 1980s Nestle was leaving Africa. Governments no longer wanted their business or their handouts. The cost was too high.

Given the bad publicity, you would think that Nestle would abandon the practice, and they did for a short while. Sadly, the campaigns began anew in the 1990s in the developing nations of Asia and they continue to this day.

The Nestle boycott has never ended. In the 1980s though, it became hip to go corporate and unAmerican to speak about injustice, Americans stopped talking about boycotts.

Let's talk about it now.

Let's talk about Nestle killing babies.

Let's talk about boycotting Nestle products. There is a list at the bottom of this article for the Nestle products sold in the USA. Your country may sell additional or different Nestle products.

Please consider taking action. Most of what Nestle sells is junk and their competitors almost always make superior competing products.

Do you think I exaggerate?

Google "nestle boycott" and see what you get. http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&q=nestle+boycott

Or follow these links:

Baby Milk Action http://www.babymilkaction.org/index.html

Wears The Baby http://www.wearsthebaby.com/articles/nestle.html

Baby Food Action http://danny.oz.au/BFAG/

Breastfeeding.com http://www.breastfeeding.com/advocacy/advocacy_boycott.html

Gentle Parenting http://www.gentleparenting.com/nestle.html

Third World Traveller http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Boycotts/Nestleboycott_page.html

InFactCanada http://www.infactcanada.ca/NestleBoycott.htm

You might be shocked at what you find. If you are too cynical too believe it is true, well then good luck to you and yours. Enjoy your privilege and ignore the rest of the world. Who needs you anyhow!

Boycott All Nestle Products:

AFTER EIGHT Mint Chocolates

ALBERS Corn Meal and Grits

ALPO Pet Food

BABY RUTH Candy

BACI Chocolates

BIT-O-HONEY Candy

BUITONI Pastas and Sauces

BUTTERFINGER Candy

CARNATION Evaporated Milk

CARNATION INSTANT BREAKFAST

CHEF'S BLEND Pet Food

CHUNKY Candy

COFFEE-MATE Non-dairy Creamer

COME 'N GET IT Pet Food

CROSSE & BLACKWELL:

• Jellies
• Condiments
• Pudding
• Sauces
• Mincemeat

NESTLE CRUNCH

EUROPEAN STYLE Desserts

FANCY FEAST Pet Food

FRISKIES Pet Food

GOOBERS Candy

JUICY JUICE Drinks

KERN'S Nectar

LEAN CUISINE

LIBBY'S

MAGGI Boullion, Seasonings, and Sauces

MIGHTY DOG Pet Food

MILO Drinks

NESCAFE Instant Coffee

NESQUIK Milk Flavoring

NESTEA Iced Tea

NESTLÉ CARNATION Hot Cocoa

NESTLE MILK CHOCOLATE

NESTLE TOLL HOUSE

NESTLE Infant Formulas:

• Good Start® Supreme DHA&ARA
• Good Start® Supreme (formerly Nestle® Carnation® Good Start®)
• Good Start® Essentials
• Good Start® 2 Essentials (formerly Nestle® Carnation® Follow-Up™)
• Good Start® Essentials Soy (formerly Nestle® Carnation® Alsoy®)
• Good Start® 2 Essentials Soy (formerly Nestle® Carnation® Follow-Up™ Soy)

NIPS Candy

OH HENRY! Candy

PERUGINA Chocolates

POWERBAR Energy Bar

QUALITY STREET Chocolates

RAISINETS Candy

SNO-CAPS Candy

SPREE Candy

STOUFFER'S

STOUFFER'S LEAN CUISINE

STOUFFER'S SKILLET SENSATIONS

SWEETARTS Candy

TASTER'S CHOICE Instant Coffee

TREASURES Candy

TURTLES Candy

WONDERBALL Candy

WONKA Candies:

• SHOCK TARTS
• OOMPAS
• GOBSTOPPER
• NERDS
• WONKA Bar
• RUNTS
• BOTTLE CAPS
• SHOCK TARTS Gum Balls
• NERDS Gum Balls
• LAFFY TAFFY
• PIXY STIX
• TART N TINYS
• FUN DIP
• NERDS Rope

Further reading:

The International Code of Marketing Breastmilk Substitutes http://www.who.int/nut/documents/code_english.PDF

The story of Aamir Raza http://www.supportaamirraza.org/mycause.htm

Peace.