4th August 2018
My message :
Letter for publication: This is how sponsorship works….My family and the Galapagos
Having recently visited the Galapagos I watched My family and the Galapagos – a bit nervous because I could see it was sponsored by Nestlé. Thankfully it was brave enough to show the plastic washed up on some of its beaches and named Nestlé, Coca Cola and Colgate among the brands. But what a shame this message was undone with a comment ‘These companies all have policies in place to reduce their plastic footprint but we all have to take responsibility too…’ that played right into industry’s whitewashing tactic: promote its here-today gone-tomorrow unmeasurable promises and shift the blame (and attention) away from corporate malpractice to individual action.
Nestlé lobbies governments to weaken essential legislation and spends about $9 billion a year persuading us to ditch traditional, culturally appropriate foods (life-saving breastfeeding, tap water, etc) and to switch to ultra-processed, plastic packaged (often single serve) globally-traded products (1). OK, lets welcome any steps in the right direction, but what’s really needed is exactly what the corporations don’t want – strict regulation and taxation of harmful practices.
Patti Rundall, OBE, Policy Director, Baby Milk Action/ IBFAN UK, prundall@babymilkaction.org
(1) Report on Carbon Footprints Due to Milk Formula: a study from selected countries of the Asia-Pacific region© BPNI / IBFAN Asia 2015. http://ibfan.org/docs/Carbon-Footprints-Due-to-Milk-Formula.pdf
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Dear Ms Rundall,
Thank you for contacting Channel 4 Viewer Enquiries regarding MY FAMILY AND THE GALAPAGOS.
We were sorry to read of your disappointment in the programme due to comments made regarding plastic as you feel this shifts the blame from corporations to the consumer. We do note that although you were initially pleased that the programme did list Nestle amongst the other brands, you then felt this message was undone by what followed. We would like to assure you fully, all of your comments and concerns on My Family and The Galapagos have been logged and noted for the attention of those responsible for the series.