PHA-Exchange> Nestle Nutrition Institute for Africa

[norman nyazema]

Dear Ted,

I am sure you have noticed that I am one of those people who are on the NNIA 
board. I am on it because of my consumer activism. As a board we have taken 
to task the company of the alleged statement on the anti-microbial activity 
of one of its products and have also queried it from a clinical 
pharmacologic point of view. I am with the Zimbabwe's drug regulatory 
authority and would query that claim if it appeared on their product in 
Zimbabwe.

As an active researher in HIV/AIDS, and in breastfeeding and HIV/AIDS in 
particular, I can assure you that I am not on the board as anyone's poodle. 
I certainly do not need the money. We have made it clear to the company that 
we have our integrity to protect. As a clinical pharmacologist I have had my 
experience from the drug industry who are now being regarded as partners in 
the fight against HIV/AIDS. I use the same philosophy and thought process 
when dealing with both industries.

Anyone who has any queries regarding NNIA, please do not hesitate to contact 
me. I encourage you to raise any questions

I just want to let you know that I accepted the board appointment with my 
eyes open.

Cheers

Norman Z. Nyazema
>From: "Aviva" <aviva at netnam.vn>
>To: <pha-exchange at kabissa.org>
>CC: "norman" <nnyazema at hotmail.com>
>Subject: PHA-Exchange> Nestle Nutrition Institute for Africa
>Date: Sun, 16 Dec 2001 14:21:54 +0700
>
>
>
>Dear Colleagues,
>
>I would appreciate if you could share this email with everyone.
>
>In the quote from Nestle's website they use the word "nutrition" to refer 
>to infant formula. They claim that one of their formulas kills bacteria 
>from contaminated water, and in a statement no doubt designed to further 
>"the knowledge and pure joy of eating good food," inform readers that "The 
>formula is now available in southern and eastern Africa."
>
>I do not see that anything in the statement below, apparently signed by 
>those NNI Board members who are not Nestle employees, that addresses these 
>points, beyond referring to them as assumptions and allegations. The 
>statements in my email were quotes from the Nestle website.
>
>The NNI functionaries ask that future questions be sent directly to an 
>unnamed person associated with the Institute, which no doubt would be 
>preferable to messages like mine that go directly to the public.
>Although I am aware of the desperate financial situation African academics 
>may now find themselves in, it is saddening to see some allowing their good 
>names to be used by Nestle in its current efforts to exploit AIDS hysteria 
>to further its marketing aims in Africa.
>
>I would point out to anyone else who believes that the Nestle Company is a 
>charity, that its shareholders would rightly not allow management to use 
>its money for purely charitable purposes, even if they wanted to. Its job 
>is to make a profit and breastfeeding obviously cannot contribute. The NNI, 
>on the other hand, is no doubt expected to be a good investment in public 
>relations.
>
>Regards,   Ted Greiner
>
>Here is a quote revealing that Nestle misuses the word nutrition as a 
>synonym for their commercial products: "The long term goal is to improve 
>nutrition in southern and east Africa, in particular nutrition used in the 
>HIV vertical transmission programme through infant
>formula," according to Ferdinand Haschke, Nestle's director of nutrition 
>for southern and eastern Africa. Nestle is now openly claiming that one of 
>its brands of infant formula "kills bacteria from contaminated water. The 
>formula is now available in southern and eastern Africa."
>(http://www.busrep.co.za/html/busrep/br_frame_decider.php?click_id=343&art_i
>d=ct20010802191035322N2523628&set_id=60) This is an obvious ploy to use 
>unscientic arguments to promote artificial feeding throughout the countries 
>where water is commonly contaminated, efforts which public health experts 
>and the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes and 
>relavant World Health Association Resolutions have frustrated for the past 
>two decades."
>
>----Original Message Follows----
>
> > Names and affiliations of NNI:
> > Prof. Gabriel Anabwani, MBChB, M Med (Paed), M.Sc. (Epid), Senior  
>Consultant and Head of Paediatrics, Princess Marina Hospital, Gaborone, 
>Botswana.
> >
> > Prof. Ganapati Bhat, M.B.B.S, M.D, DCH, Head Department of Paediatrics & 
>Child Health, University Teaching Hospital, Lusaka, Zambia.
> >
> > Prof. Peter A. Cooper, M.D, FC Paed (SA), PhD, Department of Paediatrics 
>and Child Health, University of Witwatersrand & Johannesburg  Hospital, 
>Johannesburg, South Africa.
> >
> > Dr. Chand Domah, M.B.B.S; MD (Paed), Consultant Paediatrician, Flacq  
>Hospital, Mauritius.
> >
> > Ms. Jane Downs, B.Sc.; Post Grad Dipl Hosp. Diet, B.Sc (Hons) Diet.,  
>Principal Dietician & Head of Department, King Edward VIII Hospital, 
>Durban, South Africa.
> >
> > Prof. Demetre Labadarios, B.Sc. (Hons); MBChB, Ph.D, FACN, Head, 
>Department Human Nutrition, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of 
>Stellenbosch, South Africa.
> >
> > Dr. Joseph Kariuki Mbuthia, MBChB; M. Med, Chairman, Kenya Paediatrics 
>Association, Gertrude's Garden Children's Hospital, Medical Advisory 
>Committee, Nairobi, Kenya.
> >
> > Dr. Precious Moloi, MBChB, DCH, General Practitioner, Women's Clinic,  
>Sandton Medcare Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa.
> >
> > Prof. Norman Nyazema, B.Sc. B.Sc (Hons), Ph.D, Department of 
>Pharmacology, University of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe.


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