I have to admit that although I had heard of the Nestle Boycott, I had kind of intentionally pushed it to my peripheral awareness because I didn't want to deal with it. I didn't want to acknowledge that there is this evil giant corporation out there causing babies to die, that uh, just so happens to also be the corporation that makes some of my favorite brands. Then I saw this video on PhD in Parenting, and I decided to face the facts. I listened to Jessica Gottlieb's case for the Boycott, and then I did a little more research online, and then I admitted it to myself: I have to boycott Nestle. Last night, when I went to pick up groceries, I didn't pick up any Pellegrino. I survived.
What are you going to do?
Update: I just found an enormously informational post on the blog, Peaceful Parenting, concerning this issue. It contains a documentary made by UNICEF, called Formula For Disaster, that clearly and powerfully exposes the illegal, unethical, and dangerous marketing strategies of the infant formula industry in the Philippines. Check it out, here.
As much as we love ice cream and chocolate, we're boycotting nestle! We love babies too much to do anything else!!
ReplyDeleteI hadn't heard of this until now. Time to do some research.
ReplyDeletei highly recommend nancy rose hunt's article, " 'Le bebe en brousse' European women, African birth spacing, and Colonial intervention in Breast Feeding in the Belgian Congo" (in Tensions of Empire, ed. F. Cooper and A.L. Stoler). it discusses the encouraged production of soya as a breast milk substitute/supplement.
ReplyDeleteBoy, it's a tough boycott, as freakin' evil Nestle owns about every water company there is!! Just check your bottled water and there's a much better than even chance that you will see the awful Nestle name.
ReplyDeleteThese people have been doing their terrible deeds for so long that I personally have been boycotting them for at least 20 years, if not 30. Yikes!
I hadn't realized Nestle was still (or again) up to their old tactics. We were seriously boycotting them 30 years ago! Somewhere along the way, I thought they changed their ways. Obviously, not. Thanks for keeping us informed & honest.
ReplyDeleteI'm 27 years old and when I was a very little girl my parents explained the boycott to me - I have been on it ever since. My sister and I were really proud to do it. Friends have asked me why I bother, since I am unlikely to "bring down the company", but that isn't what motivates me - I just can't bear the thought of actively supporting the company in any way.
ReplyDeleteIt has become increasingly difficult over time to sustain the boycott because Nestle has bought out so many companies - today I was dismayed to discover Nestle actually has a significant share in the Body Shop (a company which was founded with a very strong commitment corporate social responsibility). No more Body Shop products for me now :(
I'm incredibly thrilled and flattered that you grabbed my video.
ReplyDeleteWhat encourages me most is that you did your research. None of us wants to be responsible for educating all our readers (or viewers) but it's gratifying to know that you're surrounded by bright women who will take an idea, do their own research and come to a smart conclusion.
And yes, sometimes I feel like i'm going to to die when I pass up the Pellegrino and I KNOW that not having my haircolor of choice is a hideous mess... but I'm somehow surviving.
These are important discussions to have. Thank you so much for prompting it.
the frustrating thing is that here in Africa we have an AIDS pandemic. The majority of babies infected with HIV/AIDS get it through their mothers breast milk. they are born negative! Then because the mother breast feeds her baby the baby become positvie.
ReplyDeleteIn Africa ther are very few formula milk companies. Nestle is the cheapest. What are we to do over here?
Its all very well boycotting them but is that really going to help the women and their babies over here?
We all know that breast milk is best. Of course unless you are HIV+. 98% of people over here do not know that they are positive.
What needs to be happening and what people need to put their efforts into AIDS awareness and research.
I spend my days caring for AIDS orphans, most of which would be negative had their mothers formula fed them.
Boycott away but it really isnt going to help the people of Africa because a corp likle nestle is never going to listen. Sorry but its the truth.
From someone who lives it every day. Maybe send the money that you save on nestle products to an oragnization that is here on the ground trying to save the little ones who didnt get to have the formula.
I passed on my only option for water (still boycotting after 30 years) a few weeks ago because it had Nestle on the label. I'm glad I did!
ReplyDelete...and just a side note, please care about High Fructose Corn Syrup. Read your labels Nestle is not the only company killing us.
Thank you so much for posting this, for educating yourself, and for educating your readers.
ReplyDeleteThe funny thing is that Nestle does its best to tell people that the boycott is over. Somehow they don't understand that they do not get to decide when the boycott is over; we do.
I agree with Vashti and believe we need to think bigger. She makes excellent points about why breast is not always best for women in Africa. I would like to see more action in why the water is so polluted; who is causing that? I know everyone has to take a stand and it's admirable, but it's just not always as easy as just giving up Pellegrino.
ReplyDeleteWhy are any of us drinking bottled water of any kind as it is? In the United States, my understanding is that we have some of the safest drinking water in the world. I Love Pellegrino .. with a capital L! We made a conscious decision to stop drinking it a few years ago when we saw all the pretty green bottles piled up for the recycling center. Yes, I crave my fizzy water, but pretty much go without. It's that important.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the boycott, thank you so much for sharing this information. I think Vashti offers a great idea about sending the money you save on not buying Nestle products to help organizations that take care of these little bebes. Just think, a case of Pellegrino costs around $30+.
This is so horrifying. I had no idea about this and neither did my mom--I just asked her. This makes me so sad and angry. I am going to look into this some more now. Thank you for the info.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea this boycott or these problems existed. Thank you for enlightening me!
ReplyDeleteHere is information from UNICEF about breastfeeding and HIV.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.unicef.org/nutrition/index_24827.html
Among other things, it says that "The risk of HIV-infection has to be compared with the risk of morbidity and mortality due to not breastfeeding."
I understand why the Nestle boycott is going on, but with HIV as a factor, a safe water supply is the real issue here. Boycotts send a message to Nestle, but it isn't helping provide real options to mothers.
ReplyDeleteSadly Nancy UNICEF have their own agendas when it come to Africa. For those who are not on the ground in the middle of it it is hard to understand what really goes on.
ReplyDeleteI understand that boycotting a big nasty coorparation makes people feel good and makes them feel like they are standing up for some thing but time would be better served actually making a difference in some ones life. Sponsor a child, sponsor a woman, adopt.
Do some thing other than stopping eating chocolate. Nestle dont care. For real, they just dont care.
However if you sponsored some one or got hands on with those who have been affected by big bad Nestle that WOULD make a difference.
Boycotting is all about the person who is boycotting, so that they can say "I stand up for this, pat me on the back"
All I am trying to say is take that energy and actually help a child who is dying from malnutrition or AIDS, help educate African mothers. I know hundreds if you are really interested in helping Africa!
@Vashiti
ReplyDeleteThere's no need to assume that people who boycott Nestle don't take other steps in their lives to help people or to alleviate poverty and inequality.
I am not assuming that all do nothing else.I bet that there are some that really are making a difference some how with their lives, but I am sure that for many this is as dirty as their hands get when it comes to really trying to make a difference for Africa. And all I am trying to do is wake up some people to what is really going on here.
ReplyDeleteI see babies dying on a daily basis this is why I am so passionate about it.
Nestle is just a tiny little bug in this whole swarm of problems that is Africa.This boycott has been going on since I was a little girl and there are more babies dying today than there were when I was 4 years old. Why is that? Because people put more effort into talking than into doing. And thats the bottom line.
The next time I am asked,like I was this morning by a dying mother, what is the western world doing to help us here in africa? I will let them know that there is a whole lot of westeners who are refusing to eat nestle chocolate and drink sparkling water on their behalf. What a relief that will be to her.
Vashti, You obviously didn't read that detailed UNICEF page. UNICEF does have to follow the wishes of the countries in which it is invited to work -- if that's what you mean by agenda -- but that page I cited is really informative for other who haven't read up on breastfeeding and HIV. It's a decision each mom should be able to make based on her own situation and the facts at hand, which is why UNICEF and others aim to get the word out on the ground in local languages.
ReplyDeleteThank you for posting the video again. I've not come out and said we boycott Nestle, but we definitely do our best to never buy their (many) products. When buying chocolate chips recently Gray knew to grab the Ghiradeli package and not the yellow Nestle package, and said out loud why. I was so proud of him.
ReplyDeleteSteph
Nancy I did read the info and you will see that this was taken in 2006. In 2006 in South Africa aone there were 140,000 AIDS orphans that were recorded (bear in mind 98% do not know that they are + so that is just the ones that were recorded). In 2009 there were over 3,400,000 so you can see that since this report was written a great deal has changed.
ReplyDeleteIn our community we have a 69% infection rate. 98% of people who are infected do not know that they are infected mainly because they are scared of the consequenses of finding out. The governements in Africa are in complete denial about the problem. With everyone lying, including many NGO's it is hard to get a true reading on the extent of the problem.
The African women have it drummed into them that if they formula feed their child then that makes them a poor mother. I know this because I have sat and listened to nurses in rural clinics tell the mothers this.
You have to take into account the culture, beliefs and the make up of the community.
Then they have people and NGOS from over seas telling them that they should really breast feed. What choice are they given?
The true stats for breast milk infection have quadrupled over the past 2 years.
Please dont think that I am against breat feeding....I am not. I breast fed my adopted kids. That is how for breast feeding I am.
It just frustrates me to see that people read a few reports from a few years back and take them as biblical truth.
Like I said until you are in it its hard to see the horrid honest truth.
All of this has been insightful to me. Reading the post definitely prompted me to do more research and to start thinking about which products to stop buying. However, I really get what Vashti is saying. Boycotting anything is rarely enough to create change... and change is what we really want, right? And we should, in fact, be aware of the whole, big picture. What are the consequences of refraining from buying Nestle products? What are the consequences of always demonizing formula when there are situations where formula is warranted? I think we should always challenge ourselves to learn more on these issues and really strive to look for ways to better the situation. Spreading the information is an amazingly powerful first step.
ReplyDeleteWow! I never knew the Abuelita chocolate was from Nestle! Jessica is right, it's the most delicious hot chocolate ever, but now I won't buy it. There is another chocolate brand out there, I can't remember the name right now, but will come back to post (if it doesn't say Nestle of coarse).
ReplyDeleteWe tend to not buy Nestle here at home, just because I hate buying all that boxed , corn syrup stuff.
I have been hearing and reading about the boycott stuff for a long time which always gives me more of a reason not to buy it.
Is Nestle also associated with General Mills???
Thanks for passing this on. I had heard a little about it, but stuck my head in the sand because I didn't want to deal with it. Thank you for bringing it up again.
ReplyDeletereally is evil. they bought up an aqua fir near here, in Orland, and its the water that the whole city uses. They are going to drain it, collapse the aqua-fir and move on. They paid off the city council members to approve the project. Awful.
ReplyDelete