Brazil announces that 27 countries will table a Resolution on Digital marketing of baby foods for the 78th World Health Assembly
Dr López Ridaura, Under-Secretary for Health Prevention and Promotion talks about the tsunami of digital marketing in Mexico. He joined Dr Mahmood from Bangladesh,Ana Estela Haddad from Brazil, Dr Makhoase Ranyali-Otubanjo, Lesotho and Dr Martin Sirengo of Kenya on the panel chaired by Zoe Faulkner of ILCA.
Nestlé’s share-price drops to 3-year low, petition launched, Swiss Government asked to intervene. https://youtu.be/WXaZmkwQ9LQ
Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women calls for the protection of breastfeeding. 4th March 2016 Baby Milk Action and all IBFAN groups support the IBFAN-GIFA office in its work with the various human rights treaty bodies that meet regularly…
CLICK HERE for a link to the new Delegated Acts in all languages http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/FR/TXT/?uri=OJ:L:2016:025:TOC The EU delegated regulations on Infant Formula, Follow on Formula and Foods for Special Medical Purposes were published on 2.2. 2016 The link above takes you…
Baby Milk Action press release 7 March 2016 (Members of the public in the UK can click here to support the campaign in Parliament to enforce formula marketing regulations) Issuing the results of a survey is an old trick for…
Nutrients 2016, 8(3), 137; doi:10.3390/nu8030137 Prevalence of Nutrition and Health-Related Claims on Pre-Packaged Foods: A Five-Country Study in Europe Sophie Hieke 1,* , Nera Kuljanic 1, Igor Pravst 2,3, Krista Miklavec 2, Asha Kaur 4, Kerry A. Brown 5,Bernadette M. Egan 5, Katja Pfeifer 6, Azucena Gracia 7 and Mike Rayner 4 Abstract: http://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/8/3/137/ HTML…
Update 20 July 2016: This campaign was successful. The Statutory Instruments implemented today in England and Wales today make Improvement Notices legally binding. See our press release for details. Scotland’s Statutory Instrument also makes certain provisions legally binding, but does not provide…
A blog by a marketing company called Futureproof employed to recover the SMA brand from its 3rd place position in the UK market has been receiving attention on social media. It reveals the strategies used to present the company to mothers…
Thanks to Ethical Sponsorship Ireland for spotting this incredible piece outlining the strategy for getting SMA – owned by Nestlé since December 2012 – back to No 1 spot in the UK. So much more reassuring to think of corporate…
You may recall the advertising campaign developed for the Paediatric Society of Rio Grande do Sul (SPRS) in Brazil by an agency called Paim. A blogger on advertising in Brazil has conducted research to find out the messages people took from the campaign.…
Member States have until the end of February to comment on these proposals Maternal, infant and young child nutrition WHO Secretariat Report, Draft Resolution and Guidance on ending the inappropriate promotion of foods for infants and young children Document EB138/8 …
Baby Milk Action press release 18 February 2016 Nestle today launched its latest full-year results, reporting 4.2% organic growth, stating: “Infant formula including growing-up milks, delivered good growth”. This growth comes from systematic violations of baby milk marketing standards adopted…
The following article appears in the Botswana Gazette (17 – 23 February 2016). It comes as Nestle boasted of 4.2% organic growth in launching its financial report on 18 February, claiming: “Infant formula including growing-up milks, delivered good growth.” Botswana…
Liberal Democrat peer Lord Avebury dies aged 87 CLICK HERE I’ve just heard the sad news that Lord Avebury died today. Among the myriad of other issues he worked on, he was also a tremendous support to us for so…
Nestlé ends sponsorship contract with IAAF for fear of reputational damage “Today’s news that Nestlé has ended its contract with the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Global Kids Athletics scheme a year early for fear of damaging its public image took my breath away. Nestlé’s Public…
Baby Milk Action press release 9 January 2016 Update 9 January: Government promises England will learn from other countries in UK to address failures highlighted in Lancet Breastfeeding Series (see below). Leading mother support and health worker organisations in the…
In part 1 of this article, I reflected on the new Lancet Breastfeeding Series and other significant developments in January concerning our mission to protect breastfeeding and protect babies fed on formula. My focus was on the paper concerning health benefits…
This January encapsulates what is good and bad in working to protect breastfeeding and to protect babies fed on formula – Baby Milk Action’s mission. The Lancet’s latest breastfeeding series was launched at the end of the month, suggesting that the…
Civil Society warns of corporate takeover of the World Health Organisation 26th January 2016 World Health Organisation (WHO), Geneva, CLICK HERE for PDF version: FENSA PR 26.1.16 CLICK Here for the Letter from 57 NGOs FENSAB138_7-en latest draft of FENSA (January…
PDF: WHO FENSA CS_4.2.16.57 CLICK HERE for Press Release CLICK HERE for a link to the live and archived webcasts of the Executive Board meetings (available for 90 days). Thanks to Bill Jeffrey for working out that the video-recording on FENSA…
Blog post on a European Commission meeting about and ‘Added sugar’ Annex. European Commission Brussels 18th January 2016 I attended a Commission meeting in Brussels on Monday about added sugars – not a Platform meeting – but a special…
CLICK HERE for the new DELEGATED ACTS Click Here for BMJ article. bmj.i553.full PRESS RELEASE European Parliament votes for big reductions in sugar in baby foods and prohibitions on labelling at too early an age. 20th January 2016 European Parliament, Strasbourg …
Baby food regulations: 6-months recommendation and less sugar Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) voted on 19 January 2016 (393 votes in favour, 305 votes against) to reject draft EU rules on baby food, which would have allowed baby foods…
YOU can help protect the health of babies: CLICK HERE for the text of the Objection that will be voted on 20th January. CLICK HERE for WHO commentary on sugar Ask your MEPs to vote TOMORROW to reduce sugar and pesticide levels in…
2016 Access to Nutrition Index (ATNI) launch for Academics and International NGOs. The Wellcome Foundation, London Friday 15th January 2016 I attended the Gates-Wellcome-CIFF-funded ATNI index that was created by the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) in 2012 and scores major food…
Update 20 January: This campaign was successful. Click here for details. Take action to contact your representatives in the European Parliament before 20 January to strengthen baby food marketing regulations. Here is a quick explanation and instructions on what to…
CLICK HERE for WHO comment on sugar and baby foods CLICK here for Mike Brady’s Blog with extra links. PRESS RELEASE MEPs call for sugar levels in baby foods to be reduced 14th January 2016 The vote in the European…
UPDATE 14 January: Outcome of the vote. You are probably very familiar with the widespread and aggressive advertising of formula brands in Europe. You can act now to stop it – jump to campaign action. The screenshots left and below are from a…
CLICK HERE and HERE for media coverage CLICK HERE for Mike Brady’s Campaign Blog about how you can help stop the misleading adverts and bad marketing CLICK HERE for MEPs on the ENVI Committee. Please ask as many as…
I attended this conference in Cambridge, on Dietary public health research and the food industry on 11th December organised by the Centre for Diet and Activity Research (AUKCRC Public Health Research Centre of Excellence) Here is an article that followed: Limb_2015_foodLimb_2015_food Meanwhile…
Update: the APPG has now been formed. Many thanks to everyone who contacted their MPs. Fifteen from three parties attended the meeting on 19 January 2016 to complete the formalities, elect officers and develop a programme of subjects for the…
News is changing and so is Baby Milk Action’s Update newsletter. News is now available when you want it – not when producers are ready to send it to you. Now our Update newsletter is moving online. In the distant past, we…
IMPORTANT OPPORTUNITY TO PROTECT CHILD HEALTH CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE DEBATE that starts around 1 hour and 53 minutes after the start: On Monday 21st December there was an important debate in the European Parliament’s Environment, Public Health…
Since 1981 when the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes (IC) was adopted at the World Health Assembly, the European Parliament has called for its adoption as an EU Directive. All EU Member States (MS) have endorsed the International…
You some or all of the MEPs in your country to support Keith Taylor’s Resolutions by clicking on the links below. This will take you to their page on the European Parliament website where you will find quick links to…
Thanks to Third World Network for this report – page down for the secondment table TWN Info on Health and UN Sustainable Development www.twn.my WHO: Unease over seconded philanthropic foundation staff to top management Geneva, 9 December (TWN) – Philanthropic…
A fox building a chicken coop? A fox building a chicken coop? – Policy Forum www.policyforum.net The World Health Organization embarked on a reform process five years ago, that included looking at fundraising from private-sector sources. But serious policy questions…
Here a two-part programme about Nestle with english subtitles. Part 1 https://youtu.be/laCv-5jHYK4 Part 2 https://youtu.be/jNuQkygqk-g
C I’ve been attending the Global Coordinating Mechanism (GCM) on Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs) that has been taking place at WHO HQ in Geneva. Its all been very disturbing especially since this is taking place before WHO’s policy on its engagement with…
It’s been a busy time at Baby Milk Action. As our Policy Director, Patti Rundall, sometimes says, “We haven’t got time to swing a cat in this office”. Now, in time for Christmas, Gabrielle Palmer, author of The Politics of…
Today I spoke on a panel at the United Nations Forum on Business and Human Rights in Geneva. Our event was on Challenges and Opportunities of a Treaty Addressing Corporate Abuses of Human Rights. The Treaty is being drafted by a…
NEW PAPER ON UNICEF RUTF PROPOSAL RUTF Bullett FINAL IBFAN submissions to the 37th codex Committee on Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses (CCNFSDU) Bad Soden am Taunus, Germany 23-27 November 2015 I will be joining the IBFAN Codex…
3rd November 2015 Very important news from Brazil: After many decades of deliberation and struggle by our IBFAN colleagues in Brazil, a Brazilian law that bans advertising of formulas, pacifiers, bottles and all products that can interfere on breastfeeding – Regulation 11265/2006…
http://www.can-mnch.ca/minister-mandate-letter/ Minister of International Development and La Francophonie Mandate Letter Today, the Government of Canada outlined the mandate of the Minister of International Development and La Francophonie. CAN-MNCH is pleased to see a strong commitment to advancing women and children’s…
The Deadline for comments on the Draft Final Report of the Commission on Ending Childhood Obesityis today 13th November 2015. Baby Milk Action and IBFAN have submitted the following comment. BabyBaby Milk ActionIBFAN_ECHO_Nov2015 The Draft Final Report is HERE CLICK…
Baby Milk Action press release 5 November 2015 International Nestlé-Free Week is a time for people who boycott Nestlé over the way it pushes baby milk to do more to promote the boycott – and for those who don’t boycott to…
On 16th October the Green Party registered an objection to the three Delegated Acts. Commission Delegated Regulations of 25.9.2015 supplementing Regulation (EU) No 609/2013 of the EP and Council as regards infant formula, follow-on formula, c(2015) 6478, food for special medical…
Baby Milk Action press release 29 October 2015 Media coverage: Huffington Post 5 November The British Medical Journal (BMJ) announced yesterday that it has finally retracted a fraudulent study used by Nestlé, Mead Johnson and other formula companies to weaken laws…
Childhood Obesity Inquiry highlights baby food industry marketing and sponsorship for links to Blog with full Transcripts CLICK HERE Parliamentary Select Committee Childhood Obesity Inquiry. House of Commons, 20th October, 2015 The Select Committee inquiry on Childhood…
New publication – the Right to Food and Nutrition Watch 2o15 This includes three articles contributed by IBFAN. The Business of Malnutrition: The perfect public relations cover for big food by Patti Rundall, Policy Director, Baby Milk Action, UK Business of Malnutrition,…
NGOs_Chan_67 NGOs criticise WHO’s ‘non paper’ on conflicts of interest 22.10.2015 For the past 4 years and as part of the WHO reform, WHO and its governing bodies are discussing new set of policies, currently called Framework of Engagement With Non…
I attended the three sessions of the Parliamentary Select Committee Childhood Obesity Inquiry. Much of the media coverage has focused on whether or not there should be a sugar tax on sweetened drinks and the call by the Chair of the…
