Watch the Code
Archived articles from this Category
Breast vs bottle: the new battleground
Just as the Department of Health is trying to promote breastfeeding, food giant Nestlé, makers of powdered baby milk, is forging links with the Government.
By Jane Merrick
Sunday, 11 May 2008
Efforts to encourage more women to breastfeed are being threatened by “aggressive” lobbying directed at the Government by the baby milk manufacturing industry, campaigners warned yesterday.
The powdered milk manufacturer Nestlé has forged formal links with the Department of Health and took a ministerial aide on an all-expenses-paid trip to South Africa, The Independent on Sunday has discovered.
Posted by ibfanafrica on 18 May 2008 | Tagged as: Watch the Code
News from Botswana
Botswana has had a number of successes in enforcing their national law on marketing of breastmilk substitutes. Hussein Tarimo, Botswana’s expert on the International Code and champion of their strong national law, has said that action has been taken to bring the companies into line with the requirements of the law. Successes include:
- Promotional materials for baby foods are no longer appearing in the streets or in the local newspapers after fines were imposed on distributors.
- One French company has completely fulfilled all the requirements for IF.
- Idealising baby face is gone from all Tiger brand baby foods.
- Visits to health facilities by company reps have been stopped.
- Selling of expired products has been stopped.
- No more products written in foreign languages.
- Companies can no longer use the excuse that there is no national law.
- The removal of the Nestlé idealising flying birds and change to local languages has been agreed upon with the company.
Mr Tarimo also said that, since Nestle South Africa is producing infant formula for the whole region and outsourcing from Brazil, there is an urgent need to network in order to develop a harmonized position for the region. Otherwise, he warned, it is likely that the company will take advantage of trivial differences in national laws and their interpretation to continue with violations.
Posted by ibfanafrica on 13 May 2008 | Tagged as: Botswana, Watch the Code
Nestlé infant Formula Recalled
The risk associated with bottle feeding was highlighted once again when Nestlé was forced to recall a batch of infant formula from retailers in South Africa, Botwana and Zambia in March.
The alarm was raised when a number of complaints were received by the South African Lactogen 1.
A mixing error in the factory had led to the addition of excessive amounts of copper, iron and zinc to the formula and Nestlé has advised retailers to remove all 400g tins of Lactogen 1, batch code 73100179 L1, November 6, 2007, from their shelves.
Posted by ibfanafrica on 14 Apr 2008 | Tagged as: Watch the Code
To: The People and Leaders of the United States of America
Help us save 16,000 Filipino children lives every year and 1.5 million babies dying every year throughout the world, because they were not breastfed.
To counter the mounting pressure that US officials and businessmen exert against breastfeeding advocates and Philippine health officials to prevent them from strictly implementing the laws that protect breastfeeding, the initiator of this petition-signing organized two simultaneous breastfeeding Guinness World Records in single and multiple sites in the Philippines, synchronized breastfeeding worldwide and initiated Senate and Congress hearings in her country. The battle has reached the Supreme Court and the case is still being adjudicated. The case constitutes a precedent that may affect the Breastfeeding Movement in the entire world, especially in developing countries where the financial muscle of multinational corporations and official American pressure are influencing national policies.
Posted by Vulie Kunene on 05 Oct 2007 | Tagged as: Breastfeeding, General, Watch the Code
The story of Ranjit Chandra
October 2nd, 2007 by MamaBear
www.breastfeedingsymbol.org
In order to understand the present and what the future might bring, it crucial to be aware of what happened in the past. History has a tendency of repeating itself, though not always in exactly the same way.
I’m going to relate to you now the story of Ranjit Chandra. Ranjit Chandra was a world renowned professor at Memorial University at Newfoundland. He is rumored to have been nominated for the Nobel Prize in Medicine, twice. He was the recipient of the prestigious Order of Canada, Canada highest civilian honor, for a career of medical and scientific excellence. He has been lauded for his brilliance and intellect for over three decades.
Posted by Vulie Kunene on 03 Oct 2007 | Tagged as: General, Watch the Code
Breast best, but only for West
It is time once again for that touching annual ritual, in which the world most powerful people move themselves to tears. At Heiligendamm they will emote with the wretched of the earth. They will beat their breasts and say many worthy things — about climate change, Africa, poverty — but one word will not leave their lips. Power. Amid the patrician goodwill there will be no acknowledgement that the power they wield over other nations destroys everything they claim to stand for. The leaders of the G8 nations present themselves as a force for unmitigated good. Sometimes they fail, but they seek only to make the world a kinder place. Bob Geldof and Bono give oxygen to this deception, speaking of the good works the leaders might perform, or of the good works they have failed to perform –but not mentioning the active harm. Look at what is happening in the Philippines. Continue Reading »
Posted by Vulie Kunene on 20 Jun 2007 | Tagged as: Breastfeeding, General, Watch the Code
Phillipines: UN Health expert blasts milk industry for seeking profit at cost of infant health
An independent United Nations rights expert today denounced a campaign by Filipino milk companies to promote breast-milk substitutes for manipulating UN data to protect their huge profits regardless of the interest of a country where 16,000 children under 5 died in 2003 from improper feeding practices including infant formula.
Posted by Vulie Kunene on 28 Mar 2007 | Tagged as: Watch the Code
Why monitor the International Code ?
In 1981 representatives of the worlds governments met at the World Health Assembly and adopted Resolution WHA 34.22. This included the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes as a “minimum requirement” to be implemented “in its entirety” to protect healthy practices in respect of infant and young child feeding. Since 1982 additional Resolutions clarifying and amplifying the International Code have been adopted every two years. Under Article 11.4 of the International Code NGOs are assigned the role of monitoring and reporting the activities of the manufacturers and distributors of baby foods, bottles and teats.
Posted by ibfanafrica on 05 Jan 2007 | Tagged as: Watch the Code
Understanding the Code
Article 1: Aim of the Code “The aim of this Code is to contribute to the provision of safe and adequate nutrition for infants, by the protection and promotion of breastfeeding, and by ensuring the proper use of breastmilk substitutes, when these are necessary, on the basis of adequate information and through appropriate marketing and distribution.”
Posted by ibfanafrica on 05 Jan 2007 | Tagged as: Watch the Code
