Erin Garcia's idea of returning unsolicited formula samples to sender is to
my mind the only ethically defensible response.  Every time I'm reminded of
how offensive this marketing practice is, I feel angrier about it.  What an
obscene violation of a mother's integrity, to have her very home invaded by
a formula company, and what a bad use of resources this is - producing the
formula, packaging and handling it and sending it, for the sole purpose of
increasing market share.  'We know where you live, and we are keeping track
of how old your baby is.'  Yuck.  And people complain that government
monitoring is over the top? Formula marketing makes the IRS or even the
NSA look like rank amateurs.
The problematic aspects of donating such samples to food banks have been
covered in previous posts.  I guess if I knew someone who was already
irrevocably formula feeding I might consider passing it along to them,
because they have an existing need for it, but I would not want to risk
influencing a food bank user to start formula feeding just to make use of
this phony 'gift'.  I'm not sure I would even add it to my own compost heap,
I am that bothered by the idea of the tracking system they have in place to
undermine mothers!

Rachel Myr
Kristiansand, Norway

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