From: INFACT Canada [mailto:[log in to unmask]] 
Sent: Thursday, April 12, 2007 4:50 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Nestle buys baby food giant Gerber

 

April 12, 2007

 

Nestlé buys baby food giant Gerber

 

Nestlé, currently the world’s largest food corporation, is set to add yet
another company to its ever-growing list of holdings. The Swiss company said
it will soon buy Gerber, which owns an astonishing 79% of the baby food
market in the United States.

 

Up til now, Nestlé has had no infant formula presence in America. Peter
Brabeck-Letmathe, Nestlé’s CEO, said that the acquisition is a step towards
making his company “the undisputed global leader” in infant nutrition. 

 

This is bad news for anyone concerned with infant health.

 

Nestlé is the world’s worst violator of the International Code of Marketing
of Breastmilk Substitutes, a document designed to prevent corporate
interests from negatively impacting infant health. Through its aggressive
advertising of infant formula, the company has undermined breastfeeding and
infant health for decades. 

 

Nestlé’s marketing practices have in recent years have included making
health claims about their products based on falsified research, and giving
gifts to health workers in return for their endorsement. It is feared that
Gerber, which had made some strides towards Code compliance, will now shift
its advertising tactics and follow Nestlé’s example of systematic Code
violations. 

 

Mike Brady, Campaigns and Networking Coordinator at British Nestlé Boycott
group Baby Milk Action, said:

"Nestlé is the worst of the baby food companies so this growth in its market
share can only be bad news for mothers and infants. We did have hope that
aggressive marketing by Gerber would be ending as its previous owner,
Novartis, gave undertakings to comply with the World Health Assembly
marketing requirements. Nestlé breaks these in a systematic manner and has
rejected our four-point plan aimed at saving infant lives and ultimately
ending the boycott we promote. We will monitor closely with our partners to
see what happens with Gerber practices."


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