Boycott Nestle!

I first came across this announcement in a newsletter for Mothering Magazine. Then I came across it again at www.bluelatinos.org. You can see, then, that it speaks to two causes very important to me.

Nestle has their name on everything here in Latin America. They’re like Coca-Cola in that they even own products that appear to be local. Boycotting them may not be easy for everyone. This particular boycott focuses on their baby formula. VivirLatino has this to say about it:

According to the World Health Organization 1.5 million babies die every year as a result of inappropriate feeding practices. Many of these deaths occur in impoverished nations as a result of infant formula use. Despite this, Nestlé continues to aggressively advertise its baby milks in breach of international standards that were enacted in 1981. Monitoring by groups on the ground around the world shows Nestlé is responsible for more violations than any other formula company.

That’s not the only reason to boycott Neslte. Public Eye on Davos chose Nestle as the company that causes the most damage around the globe. They say the following:

Nestle plays a key role in the aggressive marketing of baby food and thus challenges breast-feeding. According to the World Health Organization, 1.5 million infants die every year because they are not breast-fed. Moreover, labor disputes are reported in Nestle factories in numerous countries. Particularly serious are the bad practices by Nestle in Colombia, where it replaced all of the personnel of a factory with cheap labor and failed to renew the collective contract of employment.

Even if you don’t purchase Nestle products, let this be a reminder of the havoc major corporations wreak on developing nations.