Dear Friends, 

Below is my letter to Gayle Converse, (and her email address), Sr. Communications Officer to the Surgeon General.

Please write to her too.  Your letter does not have to be long. You can say as little as, "the Newark / Nestle partnernship is a conflict of interest that will negatively effect health, increase obesity and increase health care costs". "Please stop it" (or add whatever you want). If you would like to let me know that you have found a few minutes to do this, I would appreciate an email.

The New Jersey Health Commissioner, Mary E. O'Dowd seems to be in a position to stop this partnership but can't because it is considered a "donation" to the City of Newark.  Copy your letter to her C/O [log in to unmask] 

Many thanks, Renee (in Vancouver)


----- Original Message ----- 
From: Renee Hefti 
To: [log in to unmask] 
Cc: [log in to unmask] 
Sent: Wednesday, June 13, 2012 16:02
Subject: Nestle partnering with Newark City and State of Michigan


Dear Gayle,

We need help!!  PLEASE respond as soon as you can. The Nestle program we are trying to stop was scheduled to start in May.  It hasn't started yet but Nestle is hiring for it. We are very frustrated that no one seems to care about what Nestle is doing and I am starting to yell in my emails (which is not good for my blood pressure) but we believe someone must care enough to be willing to stop Nestle.  Besides a massive writing campaign, we have emailed and sent materials to the Surgeon General via Jenny Rosenberg and have emailed and left phone messages for Mary Beth Bigley, but have had no response. I left you a phone message earlier today.  To follow-up:

Nestle offered (February 2012) Newark Mayor Cory Booker a $100,000.00 and a free 2 year (minimum) program, (under the guise of targeting childhood obesity) to educate about breastfeeding and nutrition in all 15 of the Family Success Centers. Nestle plans to provide their own bilingual nutritionists. In their curriculum, nutritionists, are told breast is best but they do not receive information on how to manage breastfeeding.  Nestle hires these brand new nutrition grads, tells them breast is best "but" and then quickly goes on to elaborate on the "buts" by adding: "when women don't eat properly, can't make enough, don't want to, have to go back to work, their baby is allergic, prem or twins, their breasts are not the right shape, size or hurt,  have to go back to work, their mother couldn't, etc. etc. etc". Nestle then feeds nutritionists and expectant mothers information on managing infant feeding with formula (which they add is almost identical to breastmilk). Breastfeeding is a confidence game that Nestle is a master at undermining.  

The "buts" make it sound like many women can't breastfeed which, as a lactation consultant, I can tell you, is untrue. I saw 600 women in my private practice last year and only 1 woman couldn't make enough milk and only 3 or 4 others stopped breastfeeding before the recommended 6 months of exclusive breastfeeding. Most continued breastfeeding for a least a year and some longer.

 Nestlé's agenda is clear.  The Mayor was photographed, in front of a background of Nestle formula and baby food logos, formula ads and information about free formula samples, (through their Baby Club) pop up on Nestlé's press release and Nestle hiring ads state they are looking for people "to promote Gerber (Nestlé's) formula and protect Nestlé's name".
See photo of Mayor's acceptance speech.  (If photo doesn't display, click on X). NJ Health Commissioner Mary E.O'Dowd (letter signed by Assistant Health Commissioner, Gloria Rodriquez), calls Nestlé's check and "free" program a, "donation to the City of Newark to fight childhood obesity". And she goes on to say, "The Commissioner therefore, cannot direct the Mayor to break his partnership with Nestle, as you have requested". How can this ploy to market formula be called a donation? The program is meant to increase Nestle profits but research shows formula increases obesity, sickness, sometimes death and health care costs?) 

But it is definitely a conflict of interest, for Nestle to educate about breastfeeding, under the WHO International Code of Marketing of Breasmilk Substitutes (the Code), endorsed by the US Government.  WHA Resolutions, especially 47.5, 49.15, 58.32 and 61.20 cover conflicts of interests.  61.20 also makes it clear that "infant food manufacturers and distributors are to comply fully with their responsibilities" (as laid out under the Code).  Nestle, refuses to comply with the Code or its resolutions and states "their first responsibility is to their investors" but we are not trying to stop Nestle, we are trying to make the Mayor accountable. 

The Surgeon General supports the Code (she was present when resolution 61.20 passed at the World Health Assembly).  She states, "Marketing of infant formula within communities is another negative influence on breastfeeding". "The WHO International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes declares that substitutes for breast milk should not be marketed in ways that can interfere with breastfeeding".   The Mayor is a politician.  What does he know about health? Who is he accountable to? 

Since February, Mayor Booker of Newark, refuses to cancel his partnership with Nestle despite documents, research, offer of a win / win, more than 5,000 letters, (including letters from every International breastfeeding organization working to implement the WHO Code) and an outcry from more than 50 countries, (the world, especially China, are watching Newark closely as Nestle have said they plan to target China next). See petition started in February with more than 2,000 signatures and hundreds of negative comments about Nestle. Petition link: http://www.change.org/petitions/mayor-cory-booker-newark-new-jersey-usa-stop-the-hypocritical-newarknestle-campaign-to-target-childhood-obesity?share_id=HDVyjOmNmk& 

 As well as partnering with Newark, Nestle have also partnered with the State of Michigan. (Newark and Michigan may be the tip of the iceberg as people are not reporting the actual situation). Governor Snyder, (Michigan) is allowing Nestle to "educate" in medical schools, hospitals and communities. 
He appears enamored with Nestle and in a letter I received last week he states, "the study that helped kick-start this initiative (to reduce obesity) began with Nestle Nutrition." " ...  the Nestle study indicates that breastfeeding is best... " Of course, as I pointed out earlier, "breast is best" is soon followed by all the "buts" and then all the claims that formula and breastmilk are almost identical. 

Can you please ask the Surgeon General to send a directive (or ?) to the NJ Health Commissioner, (or to whoever the Mayor is accountable to)  telling her this must be stopped and can you please ask that I receive a copy of her directive to use to further prevent Nestle (or other formula companies) from partnering with US cities and states.

If the Surgeon General is unwilling to take any action can you please let me know and we will stop banging our heads against a brick wall.  We have been working (as volunteers) 4 - 5 hours a day, seven days a week for 4 months on this issue. This is affecting our own health, our pocketbooks and our ability to earn a living.

Very Sincerely,
Renee Hefti - Graham
RN, Lactation Consultant
International Breastfeeding Advocate

             ***********************************************

Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html
To reach list owners: [log in to unmask]
Mail all list management commands to: [log in to unmask]
COMMANDS:
1. To temporarily stop your subscription write in the body of an email: set lactnet nomail
2. To start it again: set lactnet mail
3. To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet
4. To get a comprehensive list of rules and directions: get lactnet welcome