PHA-Exchange> Nestlé buys baby food giant Gerber

[claudio at hcmc.netnam.vn]

from Ted Greiner <tedgreiner at yahoo.com> -----

> Nestlé buys baby food giant Gerber
> Nestlé, currently the world's largest food
> corporation, is set to add yet another company 
to its ever-gowing 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 
asits 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 having 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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