People of Ireland called on to support Nestlé-Free Week

Nestlé-Free Week began today. Baby Milk Action has launched new reusable shopping bags with a variety of boycott logos. Groups in other countries have planned media campaigns, phone campaigns and demonstrations. The Nestlé-Free Zone logo is spreading across the internet (click on it to find out how to add it to your site).

And today I saw that an Irish MEP, Mary Lou McDonald, who represents Dublin for Sinn Féin, has said: "Sinn Féin calls on the Irish people to support Nestlé-Free week by boycotting all its products."

And perhaps by buying one of our 'Fight the Nestlé monster' bags to put non-Nestlé products in!


I'll quote the full Sinn Féin press release here as it gives a very good overview of the campaign.

It is available on-line at:
http://www.sinnfein.ie/news/detail/19656

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Sinn Féin supports Nestlé-Free Week - McDonald

Published: 29 June, 2007

Speaking ahead of next weeks International Nestlé-Free Week, Sinn Féin MEP for Dublin Mary Lou McDonald has condemned Nestlé for continuing its practice of pushing formula milk products on vulnerable mothers in developing countries.

Ms McDonald said:

“According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) 1.5 million infants die globally because they are not breastfeed. If a child is bottle-fed where water is un-safe he or she is 25 times more likely to die from diarrhoea than a breastfed child.

“Over 25 years ago a marketing code, the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes, was introduced to regulate the marketing of breast milk substitutes. Despite this provision companies such as Nestle continue push their formula products on vulnerable mothers.

“Just last month Nestlé Head of Corporate Social Responsibility for Britain defended the company’s marketing activities in Bangladesh where marketing material for baby-formula was distributed directly to Mothers and Health Care workers, claiming the code allowed the company to do so.

“However a number of articles within the code are very clear that there should be no promotion of breastmilk substitutes to mothers within the health care systems and specifically that branded company materials cannot be distributed to health workers for passing on to mothers.

“This is simply a case of the defending the indefensible. Sinn Féin calls on the Irish people to support next weeks Nestlé-Free week by boycotting all its products. Ethics in business wherever it is conducted should be the cornerstone of every company’s activity, be it in Bangor, Bangladesh or Ballymun.”
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