10.25.2010

All you need to know about Nestlé: Don't buy it

This week we'll start buying candy like it's our job, but we need to be aware of something: One of the largest companies in the world is a bad guy.  Like, a real and true bad. guy.  And if you couldn't tell from the image above, it's Nestlé.

To put it most simply, Nestlé doesn't deserve our money because, as Boo Nestlé's contributors (Annie of Phd in Parenting, Danielle Friedland, Amy of Crunchy Domestic Goddess, Michelle of MamaBear, and Elita of Blacktating) say so eloquently, it commits:
  •    CRIMES AGAINST BABIES: Nestlé contributes to the unnecessary death and suffering of infants around the world by aggressively marketing baby foods in developing nations, in breach of the World Health Organization's international marketing standards. Nestlé says they don't market to parents but they market aggressively to medical professionals and provide free formula to hospitals. Parents are convinced to use formula instead of breastfeeding and by the time their free supply of the formula runs out, mothers' ability to breastfeed has disappeared and Nestlé has a paying customer at the expense of a child's health and life.

    •    Regardless of how you feel about the use of formula in your life, it's important to understand that in the developing world, the difference between formula and breastfeeding can mean life or death to infants due to the lack of availability of clean water, lack of means of sterilizing bottles and that parents are often unable to prepare bottles to minimum specifications because they can either not read their own language or read the English directions on the label. Additionally, because formula is so expensive, many parents water down the formula to make canisters last longer. The World Health Organization estimates that 1.5 million infants die around the world every year because they are not breastfed.

    •    CRIMES AGAINST CHILDREN: Nestlé is one of the major cocoa importers that still sources its cocoa beans from the Ivory Coast. According to the US State Department, there are approximately 109,000 children working in the country's cocoa industry under slave-like conditions. Nestlé promised in 2001 to make its chocolate "child labor-free" by 2005 but that promise was broken and the deadline ignored.

    •    CRIMES AGAINST COMMUNITIES: Nestlé is also guilty of pilfering public water supplies worldwide for profit, wreaking damage on the environment as well as communities. Their water mining operations have caused damage to watersheds after assuring rural communities they would be "good corporate neighbors." Small towns that refused to throw open their water supplies to Nestlé have been targeted with litigation designed to bully and bankrupt. For more information, visit http://www.corporatewatch.org/?lid=240

October 25th - 31st is Nestlé-Free week.  Give the boycott a go (and sign a pledge here, if you like), it's a lot easier than you might think.  I've been actively boycotting their products for roughly a year and as I learn more about their product list I keep adding to my own boycott list. 

Below is a list of Nestlé products to avoid this week besides just the obvious candy (though Nescafé is the real target of the boycott).  [Ed. note: Like Grumbles and Grunts I was also happy to realize that I've been a Nestlé-free household for much longer than I thought.  You might be surprised, too!]


[Ed. add: To partially address the comment by @Flatspunk, I think Halloween week is the perfect week to take a closer look at our purchases, especially in regards to a product we might not usually buy in such high quantities (candy).  No time like the present to start making changes.]

So buy thoughtfully this week and ever after.  Our pocketbooks are powerful voting tools.

[List via Wikipedia]

Cereals

Coffee

Water

Other drinks

Shelf stable

Chilled

  • Chamyto (Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Philippines)
  • Chiquitín (Mexico, Chile)
  • Club (Mexico)
  • Hirz (Switzerland)
  • La Laitière (France,Belgium)
  • La Lechera (Spain,Mexico)
  • Moça (Brazil)
  • Chandelle (Brazil, Chile)
  • LC1 (Switzerland)
  • Molico (Brazil now Svelty)
  • Nestlé
  • Ski
  • Sollys (Brazil)
  • Sveltesse (France)
  • Svelty (Mexico)
  • Yoco
  • Munch Bunch (UK)
  • Le Viennois (France, Belgium, Switzerland)
  • Nesvita (Philippines, India)
  • Ninho (Brazil)

Ice cream

Infant foods

Performance nutrition

  • Musashi
  • Neston
  • Nesvita
  • PowerBar
  • Pria
  • Supligen

Healthcare nutrition

  • Boost
  • Carnation Instant Breakfast
  • Nutren
  • Peptamen
  • Glytrol
  • Crucial
  • Impact
  • Isosource
  • Fibersource
  • Diabetisource
  • Compleat
  • Optifast
  • Resource

Seasonings

  • Buitoni
  • Maggi
  • Carpathia
  • CHEF
  • Thomy
  • Winiary

Frozen foods

Frozen Pizza: Tombstone Pizza Jack's Pizza DiGiorno Pizza California Pizza Kitchen Frozen

Refrigerated products

  • Buitoni
  • Herta
  • Nestlé
  • Toll House

Chocolate, confectionery and baked goods

Wonka confectionery brands

Nestlé made Wonka Bars to promote the 2005 film adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl.

Foodservice products

  • Chef-Mate
  • Davigel
  • Minor's
  • Santa Rica

Petcare




Posted by Jessica at 10:51 PM
Labels:

4 comments:

  1. AnonymousOctober 25, 2010 at 11:07 PM

    "Additionally, because formula is so expensive, many parents water down the formula to make canisters last longer. The World Health Organization estimates that 1.5 million infants die around the world every year because they are not breastfed."

    This is very important but misleading -- they're malnourished because they water down the formula (not because they are not breastfed). But this is not to the fault of Nestle, though they are blamed because they sell the most formula. Kind of bullshit if you ask me. They do not encourage people to water down formula -- and what option do they have, not sell formula to poor people? You can't blame companies for the misuse of their products.

    I'll need to read more about the other topics...but Halloween week is not going to be the most effective time for a Nestle boycott.

    ReplyDelete
  2. JamieOctober 26, 2010 at 7:45 AM

    flatspunk, the reason watering down the forumla IS Nestle's concern is because they are aggressively targeting mom's in the hospital, getting low-income moms hooked on formula (where their breastmilk supply then disappears). Then these same low-income moms have no other choice but to keep buying the formula they can't afford– and THAT'S why they water it down. At the hospital they may get it for free– when they're on their own they have nothing else to feed their baby and they can't afford the exorbitant prices.

    I'm happy to look down the list and see that we are a no-nestle family... by accident. I support the boycott, of course, but I've never gone down item by item before to see how we stack up. We're doing pretty good!

    and re: halloween... reeses cups, FTW.

    ReplyDelete
  3. LoukiaOctober 26, 2010 at 10:57 AM

    It really pains me to read about the unneccesary deaths of babies due to not having enough formula. This is a problem that should be solved, like, yesterday. However, I can't boycott Nestle. I can't put all the blame on them. I just can't. Surely they are not the ONLY formula provider to these countries?

    "Nestlé says they don't market to parents but they market aggressively to medical professionals and provide free formula to hospitals. Parents are convinced to use formula instead of breastfeeding and by the time their free supply of the formula runs out, mothers' ability to breastfeed has disappeared and Nestlé has a paying customer at the expense of a child's health and life."

    If the hospitals and medical professionals are the ones buying the formula, the responsiblity also lies with them, I think. Also, when I was in the hospital after giving birth, Nestle wasn't the only formula brand that was there, being offered to me. As a mom who breastfed both boys for 6 months, I took a few samples, and used when the time was right for me.

    There is the good side, and there is the bad side. I appreciate that I can buy a box of Nestle chocolates, knowing that they are 100% nut free. I feel safe about hanging out Smarties, Kit Kat, Coffee Crisp and Aero on Halloween, and bringing these chocolates in as treats to my son's school.

    Anyway. I hope you have a yummy Halloween. I will start my diet on November 1st! ;)

    ReplyDelete
  4. JessicaOctober 26, 2010 at 2:09 PM

    I think that since I am privileged and educated it's my *duty* to look out for those who don't have the same access to information and choices as I do, and I'm choosing to do that with my wallet.

    There are many, MANY other choices other than Nestle that don't prey on the disadvantaged, disillusioned, or the deprived. Why not throw your dollar there?? Nut-free is not a Nestlé specific selling point.

    Also, I simply don't believe that just because someone misuses a product it's entirely their fault. Yes, they are in control to a certain degree, but that's dismissing entirely all the cultural and societal pressures guiding those choices. To do so isn't looking at the bigger picture.

    ReplyDelete

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