*News Release November 16, 2012*

* *

*Outrage sparks Twitter battle between UN health watchdogs WHO, PAHO *

*Moms, front line breastfeeding workers furious with Pan American Health
Organization for accepting $150,000 from Nestlé*

* *

Two global health care titans are duking it out on Twitter over the ethics
of accepting money from food industry giants to fight non-communicable
disease.



This comes after moms and front line health care workers vented their fury
at the Pan American Health Office - the regional representative in the
Americas for the World Health Organization - over $150,000 received from
Nestlé.





After fighting industry for years to uphold an international code to
protect moms and babies from predatory marketing, there was outrage when it
was learned PAHO accepted $150,000 from Nestlé. This is a direct violation
of what is known as the WHO Code and moms and breastfeeding support workers
are furious.



“No matter how PAHO-WHO spins it, accepting cash handouts from Nestle is an
endorsement of their products, and a green light to Nestle to continue to
harm the health of children by violating the WHO Code,” says Jennie Bever,
a breastfeeding researcher and mom of two who wrote a blog
post<http://lactationmatters.org/2012/11/08/if-you-dont-advocate-for-mothers-babies-who-will/>triggering
the outcry on social media. “We're fighting this battle while
nursing our babies, picking up our kids from school and doing our jobs. It
is our health and the health of our children the world over that PAHOWHO is
selling to the highest bidder.”



While the health protection titans hash it out with careful language, moms
and the lactation consultants who help them say it's simple. PAHO must give
the money back.



Marsha Walker, executive director of the US-based National Alliance for
Breastfeeding Advocacy, said in an
article<http://www.bfnews.blogspot.ca/2012/11/world-health-organization-sells-out-to.html>on
the issue: "The wolf in sheep’s clothing comes bearing money and is
rewarded for its poor corporate behavior by aligning itself with the good
name of respected health agencies."



Our newly-formed group, Friends of the WHO Code is asking other
organizations to join our effort and pressure the WHO and PAHO-WHO to
reexamine this and other relationships and how they impact global public
health. We can be reached at [log in to unmask]



- 30 –



Contact:  Dr. Jennie Bever Babendure

858-442-8266

[log in to unmask]

@breastfdscience



Link to Jennie Bever's blog post:
http://lactationmatters.org/2012/11/08/if-you-dont-advocate-for-mothers-babies-who-will/

Link to Marsha Walker's article:
http://www.bfnews.blogspot.ca/2012/11/world-health-organization-sells-out-to.html



---------------

Media are invited to contact Amber Rhoton McCann, IBCLC,
[log in to unmask] for more details on the social media response to this
issue, and Marsha Walker, RN, IBCLC, Executive Director, National Alliance
for Breastfeeding Advocacy (NABA), [log in to unmask] for more information
about the WHO Code. Background on issue is attached.



*Background*:

On October 19, 2012 Reuters broke the story that the Pan American Health
Office (PAHO-WHO) of the World Health Organization (WHO) had accepted
$150,000 from Nestle. In addition to what most know as a chocolate company,
Nestle is a multibillion dollar corporation in direct conflict with the WHO
International Code of Marketing Breastmilk Substitutes (the WHO Code). Due
to the aggressive marketing of their infant feeding products in the 3rd
world, Nestle has been the subject of an international boycott for the past
35 years. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nestl%C3%A9_boycott

Based on the aggressive and predatory tactics of companies such as Nestlé,
in 1981 the World Health Organization and UNICEF, supported by 118 countries
[1] <#_ftn1>, brought in the WHO Code to protect vulnerable children who
may suffer poor health and even death due to lack of breastfeeding,
especially in places without access to clean water and proper sanitation.
This public endorsement of the importance of breastfeeding was a critical
step for public health worldwide, and has since guided legislation in 103
of countries to enforce all or part of the WHO Code. Over 20 other
countries adopted the code on a voluntary basis[2] <#_ftn2>.

Unfortunately in the US and many other countries, a lack of legislative
enforcement of the WHO Code has resulted in over 30 years of rampant
violations. From the “gift” bag at the hospital to delivery of formula
samples on mothers’ doorsteps, infant formula manufacturers have continued
to violate the WHO Code, and negatively impact breastfeeding. These
violations have intensified in recent years as corporations have begun to
infiltrate social media to market their products directly to new mothers.
In the fight against these aggressive tactics, the support of the WHO
through the WHO Code has been the main source of strength for advocates
worldwide. By partnering with Nestlé, PAHO-WHO has endorsed one of the
worst violators it initially set out to regulate. This relationship serves
as a symbol to other organizations that the WHO Code has no meaning,
sending a message to other companies that such marketing tactics will be
overlooked.



The gravity of this action has sparked worldwide outrage and demand for the
WHO to reexamine their relationship with Nestle and return the
$150,000. This action is such a breach of trust between the WHO and the
people it protects that it has united a global front of breastfeeding
advocates, public health professionals, mothers and fathers to stand up to
organizations that violate the WHO Code, including PAHO-WHO itself. In
order for the WHO Code to maintain its integrity, PAHO-WHO must return the
funds, as a monetary relationship with Nestlé symbolizes a nail in the
coffin of the cause and gives a green light to code violators that the WHO
Code has no meaning.







------------------------------

[1] <#_ftnref1> WHO, International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk
Substitutes <http://www.who.int/nutrition/publications/code_english.pdf>,
(Introduction, p. 5)

[2] <#_ftnref2> UNICEF, National Implementation of the International Code
of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes (April
2011)<http://www.unicef.org/nutrition/files/State_of_the_Code_by_Country_April2011.pdf>

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