Liz's post was quite interesting. I too, am not throwing down a
gauntlet, merely clarifying the logic and facts of her statements.

Using the logic that only subsidiaries whose products violate the WHO
Code for exclusion from sponsorship, rather than the parent company or
the entity as a whole, would mean, ILCA could accept sponsorship and
advertising from

Arrowhead, Calistoga, Deer Park, Ice Mountain, Ozarka, Poland Spring,
Perrier, S. Pellegrino, Contrex Zephyrhills all brands of "Nestle
Water North America"

Dreyer's , Haagen Dazs, Drumstick, Dibs, Pushups, Edys, all brands of
"Dreyer's Ice Cream"

Alpo, Beggin Strips, Beneful, Cat Chow, Dog Chow, Fancy feast
Friskies, Mighty Dog, Tidy Cat's, Whisker Lickin's, Breeze,
Kit'N'Kaboodle all brands of "Nestle Purina Pet Care"

 Baby Ruth Candy Bars, Butterfinger, Bit-o-Honey, Buitoni, Chunky,
Coffeemate, Hot Pockets, Jamba, Lean Cuisine, Lean Pockets, Libby's
Pumpkin, Laffy Taffy, Maggi Seasonings, Nerds, Tollhouse, Juicy Juice,
Crunch Bars, Nips, Oh Henry! Oompas, Pixy Stix, Sweetarts, Spree,
Stouffer's, Taster's Choice, Wonka, all brands of
"Nestle, USA"

In the US, Only "Nestle Nutrition" infant nutrition section offers
products which violate the code.

So, it would not be acceptable to accept sponsoirship from "Nestle SA"
or "Nestle Nutrition", but it would be fine (by the Lansinoh logic) to
accept them from "Nestle Water North America", "Dreyer's Ice Cream",
"Nestle Purina Pet Care", and "Nestle, USA" all wholly owned
subsidiary's of  Nestle SA operating in the US.  I can hear the
executives at Nestle's cheering as they rush to sponsor breastfeeding
programs/organizations including ILCA. And I know the Jelliffes are
rolling over at the thought.

If the contribution to the ILCA budget is so small, the perception is
that Lansinoh is a WHO Code violator due to their corporate
relationship with Pigeon, wouldn't it be logical to err on the side of
organizational caution and not accept advertising or sponsorship from
them?

I remember a few years ago, when I was on the ILCA Board of Directors,
we made the point that if Medela or Avent could exhibit bottles, why
couldn't all bottle manufacturer's? Where should we draw the line? If
my memory serves me correctly, a decision was made (after I left) to
allow a/some bottle manufacturer's to exhibit and if my memory serves
me correctly, there was also a huge uproar by ILCA members about the
exhibit/s.

As a profession, we should do our best to be consistent in the
application of the code and not make exceptions for companies that we
like, or that we perceive to be better, or only a small portion of
their income comes from items which violate the code, or that we
like/have close relationships with the the representatives of, or that
pass our own personal smell test, or they package their product in
purple......

When you distill it down the fact remains that Lansinoh is a wholly
owned subsidiary of Pigeon , a WHO Code violator.

I believe that ILCA's  reasoning  vis-a-vis the WHO Code was unsound.
I do not believe ILCA devised a   non-conflicting means for
determining who is Code-compliant.  It is unclear whether or not you
met your fiduciary responsibilities to membership, it is questionable
whether or not it was a perfectly sound decision, made by the
governing board in relation to the organizational commitment to the
WHO Code. And it doesn't matter one bit whether or not I personally
like it.

The Board's actions in relation to WHO Code questions should be the
only way to demonstrate "total
commitment to" or a "stronger stand in support of" the WHO Code." What
is in your governing documents is meaningless if they are not applied
and followed.

If you'd like some additional financial history/perspective, I'd be
happy to provide it. We were not in the black when I came on to the
Board as treasurer, but were when I left.

Regards,
Cathy Liles

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

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