Vacation note and the Nestle Boycott info

Things here in Marlaland have been very busy the past week. We were on vacation last week, Monday through Friday, up on the side of a mountain in a beautiful cabin outside Luray, Virginia. This week, it has been back to reality. I think I MUCH prefer the mountains!!

Just a quick blurb about the Nestle boycott. I've had a number of friends ask about why I do my best to boycott Nestle products. You can read about the boycott from the link to the right. The basics are here:
"Boycott Nestle and help save lives.

Nestle promotes artificial infant feeding around the world, breaking a World Health Organization (WHO) code of marketing. Nestle makes a profit while others count the cost.

* WHO and the United Nations Children's Fund say that reversing the decline in breastfeeding could SAVE 1.5 MILLION LIVES EVERY YEAR. Millions more infants become seriously ill because they are not breastfed.
* Where supplies of water are unsafe and conditions unsterile, a bottle-fed baby is up to 25 times more likely to die as a result of diarrhea. Expensive formula (often costing more than half the entire family income) impoverishes people who are already poor. Milk is often watered down to make it go further, thus adding the extra risk of malnutrition.
* A breastfed child is less likely to suffer from gastroenteritis, respiratory and ear infections, diabetes, pneumonia, polio, allergies and other illnesses. Bottle baby disease is the name given to the deadly combination of diarrhea, dehydration and malnutrition, which is the result of unsafe bottle-feeding.
* Breastfeeding is the best start in life for a child - but Nestlé's baby food marketing puts profits before health.
* Baby Milk Action coordinates the 18 country international Nestle boycott, focusing on Nestle because it controls about 40% of the world market in baby milks and uses its influence to undermine controls on marketing activities. Monitoring shows Nestle to be the largest single source of violations worldwide. The Boycott is supported in the UK by over 100 church, health and consumer groups, over 90 businesses 80 student unions, 17 local authorities, 12 trade unions, 74 politicians and political parties and many celebrities.
* Nestle has been warned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) not to repeat claims made in the 1996 anti-boycott advertisement.

Nestle takes notice of sales figures - by boycotting Nestle, you can help stop these unnecessary deaths.

What you can do

1. Don't buy any Nestle products. If the company you work for provides Nestle products in Vending machines or in the staff canteen, make sure whoever is responsible is aware.

2. Email this message in your own words:

"I understand that Nestle baby milk substitutes contribute to the unnecessary death of 1.5 million infant deaths per year, I therefore pledge to do my best not to buy any Nestle products. I shall continue my boycott until independent monitoring demonstrates that Nestle no longer unethically advertises or promotes breastmilk substitutes."

3. Forward this message to all your colleagues and friends by email, and tell others who don't have email access.

The above information has been taken from the Baby Milk Action website.

Contact Baby Milk action for information on how you can join and contribute to their campaign.

Email: info@babymilkaction.org

Tel:(01223 464420 Fax:(01223)464417

Notes:
1. UNICEF reviews contaminants:
The possibility of breastmilk contamination has recently been portrayed in alarmist headlines by the media. A UNICEF paper 'Breastfeeding and Environmental Contamination' reviews the evidence. The superiority of breastmilk, despite the presence of small quantities of chemicals is affirmed. One study cited estimates that 'about three days of life expectancy would be lost because of cancer attributable to contaminant exposure through breastmilk. In contrast the decrease life expectancy from not breastfeeding was about 70 days'
2. Exclusive breastfeeding recommended for 'around 6 months': This is one of the conclusions of a WHO. report reviewing existing scientific knowledge about complimentary feeding in developing countries. The report states that 'full-term infants with appropriate weight for gestational age should be exclusively breastfed until about 6 months of age' and that 'children should continue to be breastfed for up to 2 years of age or beyond'
3. The International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk substitutes was adopted by the World Health Assembly in 1981. It aims to protect all mothers and babies from aggressive company practices and to ensure that they receive accurate information. It bans all promotion of baby milks and other breastmilk substitutes."

I have a list of Nestle items and have been making a more concentrated effort to make sure I do not spend my hard earned money on their products.Let me know if you'd like more info!!

More soon........