Nestlé-Free Week 26 October - 1 November - now there are ribbons for Twitter avatars!

Nestlé-Free Week 26 October - 1 November: a week for boycotters to do more and for non-boycotters to do something.

Nestlé's PR Disaster on Twitter recently gave the week extra publicity, so why not add a ribbon to your Twitter avatar if you have an account. Click the button or see:

http://twibbon.com/cause/Nestl233-Free-Week

Monitoring around the world by the International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN) finds that Nestlé is the worst of the companies when it comes to breaking international standards for the marketing of baby foods adopted by the World Health Assembly.

According to UNICEF: "Marketing practices that undermine breastfeeding are potentially hazardous wherever they are pursued: in the developing world, WHO estimates that some 1.5 million children die each year because they are not adequately breastfed. These facts are not in dispute."

You can sign up to support the week on Facebook at:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=139785596483&index=1

If you know people who say they would boycott, but.... why not challenge them to boycott for this week? When they find there are alternatives to Nestlé products they may join the boycott permanently. The boycott is helping to hold Nestlé to account, forces some changes and helps to save lives. See:

http://boycottnestle.blogspot.com/2009/10/boycott-successes.html

The week has gained a big boost in the US following Nestlé's attempt to recruit top parenting bloggers to its cause by inviting them to an all-expenses-paid trip at a 5-star hotel in California, complete with celebrity chef. Some turned it down. Others went and raised questions posted on the Twitter channel Nestlé had set up for the bloggers to rave about its products. Soon the channel was dominated with people raising concerns about Nestlé's practices. Nestlé came on briefly to respond to these, but then left when people were not satisfied. It has since posted responses to written questions on the PhD in Parenting blog, but such is Nestlé's dishonesty - and the failings of its anti-boycott PR team - that these are being shown up for the deception they are, so fueling support for the boycott and Nestlé-Free Week. See:

http://www.phdinparenting.com/2009/10/25/nestle-free-week-october-26-to-november-1/

Do post information on other resources and ways to promote the week.