Infant Formula
Nestlé continues to sell infant formula to mothers in less - economically developed countries despite knowing the repercussions. The company claims to be committed to supporting health, contrary to what has been found by researchers have investigated over seventy Nestlé infant milk formulas under twelve months old, sold in forty countries. In South Africa, infant formulas were found to contain sucrose (sugars), an ingredient Nestlé condoned parents for feeding infants in Brazil and Hong Kong. The researchers also found that Nestlé has misguided consumers about their infant milk, which they advertise in Hong Kong as a healthy choice that doesn’t contain flavoring. This was a lie, as several products were found to contain vanilla flavoring in South Africa.“While we have come to understand that companies manipulate consumers’ emotional responses to sell a variety of products,” said Nusa Urbancic of the Changing Markets Foundation, “this behavior is especially unethical when it comes to the health of vulnerable babies,”(Knowler).
Current State
Health Effects
Dr. Stephen Joseph, of the United States Agency for International Development, “blamed reliance on baby formula for a million infant death every year through malnutrition and diarrheal diseases,” whereas research shows that breastfeeding has major health benefits, with six months of exclusive breastfeeding said to increase child survival rates by six times. Using infant formula can be especially deadly for those afflicted by poverty, such as the mothers Neslté targeted. Formula and the clean water required to use it is a luxury such mothers can’t afford or don’t have access to. Inaccess to water created a market for Nestlé to sell its own bottled water to those who could afford it. Additionally, to make formula last longer, there have been reports of mothers using smaller portions. This is dangerous as the baby doesn't consume the necessary amount of nutrients, leading to malnutrition, an increased risk of infections, and the spread of pathogens and disease. Furthermore, the lack of potable water had similar side effects. Without the influence of Nestlé, babies would be protected from these illnesses and even death, with breast milk having the valuable nutrients, proteins, and vitamins needed to protect babies (Krasny).
Boycotts
Nestlé’s resulting bad publicity launched a boycott in the U.S, which then spread to other countries in the 1980s (Kransy). This inspired Resolution WHA34.22, adopted by the 34th World Health Organization in 1981, involving the International Code of Marketing Breast-Milk Substitutes. This code set guidelines on how baby formula should be promoted globally, stating that companies may not: “promote products in hospitals, shops or to the general public. Give free samples to mothers. Give gifts to health workers or mothers. Give misleading information,” and companies must explain the costs of using the formula (World Health Organization). However, social groups and NGOs (non-governmental organizations) continue to criticize Nestlé and claim that they still don't comply with the code (Krasny). To learn more about how you can take action click here.
The 1970 Infant Formula Scandal
For almost a century, Nestlé has used unethical practices to sell infant formula at the expense of mothers and their babies. In the 1970s, Nestlé was exposed for bribing hospitals and using unethical advertising techniques. These tactics were used to mislead women into believing they needed the formula to create a market for the product where none was needed: impoverished cities in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Nestlé hired “sales girls” in nurses uniforms to go to the homes of mothers and sell them on baby formula, feeding them lies regarding the benefits of weaning babies immediately after birth and substituting breastmilk with infant formula (Krasny). This implication conflicts with research emphasized by the World Health Organization (WHO) that exclusively breastfeeding a baby six months after birth is optimal and breastfeeding should continue until the baby is at least two years old. The sale girls hired by Nestlé created a warped image of breastfeeding, making mothers believe they would harm their baby by not using infant formula. The sale girls would also convince hospitals to promote their baby formula, bribing them with free infant formula for in-house use, equipment, literature, and other services, in exchange for the distribution of formula discharge packs. With the lies of the sale girls and the misguided promotion of formula in hospitals, mothers became sold on the idea that breastfeeding was subpar. The free formula provided by hospitals set the ball rolling, as mothers abandoned the idea of breastfeeding to use the free formula. They would become hooked (Krasny). Not breastfeeding, especially if done in the first couple of weeks post pregnancy reduces the amount of milk produced (Pitman). As lactation consultant Diana West stated, “if less milk is removed, the breasts assume that less milk is needed, so the capacity is set at a lower point, ” leaving mothers physically reliant on the baby formula. While some may say this isn’t a big problem, there are detrimental ways in which the health of babies is impaired.
