From: <b class="gmail_sendername">Patti Rundall</b> <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:prundall@babymilkaction.org">prundall@babymilkaction.org</a>></span><br><div class="gmail_quote"><br><br><div style="word-wrap:break-word">
Do share.<div><br></div><div>Related to this is this article in today's Guardian: <span style="color:rgb(20,79,174)"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/2011/nov/23/corporate-giants-target-developing-countries?INTCMP=SRCH" target="_blank">http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/2011/nov/23/corporate-giants-target-developing-countries?INTCMP=SRCH</a></span><br>
<div><div style="word-wrap:break-word"><div style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;font:normal normal normal 30px/normal Frutiger;font-size:37px"><span style="font-family:Times;font-size:17px"><br>
</span></div><div style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;font:normal normal normal 30px/normal Frutiger;font-size:37px"><span style="font-family:Times;font-size:17px">for online version with links also to a PDF version see: <u><a href="http://info.babymilkaction.org/pressrelease/pressrelease24nov110" target="_blank">http://info.babymilkaction.org/pressrelease/pressrelease24nov110</a></u></span></div>
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<b>PRESS RELEASE</b></div><div style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;font:normal normal normal 14px/normal Times;min-height:18px;font-size:18px"><br></div><div style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;font:normal normal normal 14px/normal Times;font-size:18px">
<b>The Business of malnutrition: setting trading rules</b></div><div style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;font:normal normal normal 14px/normal Times;min-height:18px;font-size:18px"><br>
</div><div style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;font:normal normal normal 12px/normal Times;font-size:16px">Codex Nutrition Meeting, Bad Soden, Frankfurt, Germany</div><div style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;font:normal normal normal 12px/normal Times;font-size:16px">
12 -18th November 2011</div><div style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;font:normal normal normal 12px/normal Times;min-height:14px;font-size:16px"><br></div><div style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;font:normal normal normal 10px/normal Times;min-height:13px;font-size:14px">
<br></div><div style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;font:normal normal normal 10px/normal Times;font-size:14px">A dozen developing countries and health campaigners attending the Nutrition Meeting of Codex, the UN body that sets international food standards, <sup style="font-size:13px">1</sup> achieved partial success in their call for strict controls on the marketing to be included in Guidelines <sup style="font-size:13px">2</sup> on a loose range of processed fortified products for babies that were never clearly defined. The objective was to provide nutrients which are<i> “either lacking or are present in insufficient quantities,” </i>with the clear aim of targeting all those 'at risk' of malnutrition.</div>
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The countries, <b>Brazil, Nigeria, Chile, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Gambia, Togo, Cameroon, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, South Africa</b> and <b>Bolivia</b>, fearing that uncontrolled marketing of the new products would undermine breastfeeding,<sup style="font-size:13px">3</sup> increase family poverty and create dependence on products that are expensive and often unnecessary, called for several key World Health Assembly Resolutions to be mentioned in the set of Guidelines being discussed.<sup style="font-size:13px">4</sup> The <b>United States </b>and the <b>European Union</b> initially insisted that it was unnecessary to mention the Resolutions, arguing that they stand on their own in their own right. <b>Australia</b> and <b>Botswana</b> suggested that paragraphs from the relevant WHA texts could be referenced and, after the World Health Organisation (WHO) stepped in, the EU and US agreed to a compromise.<sup style="font-size:13px">5</sup> </div>
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Experts from the <b>International Baby Food Action Network</b> (IBFAN) suggest that as the EU and US economic crisis continues, the new ‘business of malnutrition’ - which has the potential for multi-billion dollar profits from exports to the developing world and is portrayed as a win-win solution for the economy and development – could lead to a marketing bonanza that, instead of improving infant and young child health, could harm it and drain family budgets.<sup style="font-size:13px">6</sup></div>
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The debate centered on a proposal by <b>Ghana</b> to update existing Codex Guidelines for a range of fortified complementary foods. Ghana, the majority of African and Latin American countries, IBFAN, the International Association of Consumer Food Organisations (<b>IACFO</b>) and the International Lactation Consultant Association (<b>ILCA</b>) were all anxious to protect breastfeeding, local family foods and skills and to improve the safety and quality of these foods.<sup style="font-size:13px">7 </sup> However, their task was made especially tricky because of the extensive food industry presence – the norm for Codex meetings. 40% of the 268 delegates were food industry, with 59 attending as members of Business Interest NGOs (BINGOS) and 49 included on government delegations – some even heading these delegations. For example, the <b>Mexican</b> delegation, which made many industry-friendly interventions, was 100% industry, with US baby food companies <b>Mead Johnson </b>and <b>Abbott </b>alongside <b>Kelloggs </b>and<b> Coca Cola</b>.<b> Germany</b> hosted the meeting and 12 of its 15 delegates were industry, including baby food giants, <b>Milupa</b> (<b>Danone</b>) and <b>Nestlé</b>, alongside <b>Coca Cola</b>, <b>Kraft</b> and others.<sup style="font-size:13px">8</sup></div>
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The health advocates acknowledged that the fortification of basic foods can be an important health intervention if properly managed, but had serious concerns about this untested market-led approach in relation to infant and young child feeding. <i></i></div>
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<b>Joyce Chanetsa</b><i>,</i> <b>IBFAN</b>’s Regional Coordinator for Africa and Chair of the <b>African Codex Experts Group</b>:<i>“We accept that these products may provide important nutrients when used in certain situations, but if they are promoted as quick fix magic bullets on the market that will end malnutrition, parents will do anything to buy them, however unaffordable and unnecessary they may be. Once market-led programs overtake other humanitarian and development interventions, the underlying and root causes of poverty and malnutrition are forgotten. If ‘malnutrition in all its forms is to be a sustainable business, demand needs to be maintained. Is this the vision for Africa that the poor remain impoverished and needy?”</i></div>
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In response to the <b>US</b> and <b>EU</b> opposition to references to the Resolutions, WHO clarified that it was indeed appropriate to cite the resolutions: <i>“While the WHA Resolutions are not legally binding under the constitution – it doesn’t mean that the Resolutions are just paper and devoid of effect. [They] constitute the international practice and a consensus language that is also used in other international fora, for instance they are used customarily in WTO litigations.” </i></div>
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The EU and US eventually gave way, agreeing to allow a reference to the 2001 WHO <i>Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding </i>(WHA 54.2) but refusing the newer Resolutions. Several other sections of the guidelines relating to food safety and quality were improved, but invariably, as is usual in Codex, exporting country views carried more weight than those on the receiving end. With meeting time fast running out the Codex requirement to reach consensus was not followed on important questions of marketing, such as whether the products could share the same brand name as formulas, whether they should carry a statement recommending continued breastfeeding and whether they could be advertised.</div>
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However, on the key issue of claims, a proposal by the <b>Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition</b> (GAIN)<sup style="font-size:13px">9 </sup>to allow promotional claims was not taken up. GAIN is a public private partnership, that works with over 600 companies, including <b>Danone</b> (the second largest baby food company), <b>PepsiCo, Mars</b> and<b> Kraft</b>, and which promotes market-led approaches to <i>‘prevent malnutrition.’</i> The US initially supported the GAIN proposal, but softened its approach and suggested that Codex needed to explore how products could make a statement about their intended purpose without ‘simply being viewed as a claim.’ IBFAN and IACFO picked up on this point, highlighting the risks of promotional claims, especially when products share brand names with breastmilk substitutes and stating that there are many other ways to present nutrition information that make the intended purpose and appropriate use clear. GAIN argued that because all sorts of inappropriate claims are made on other foods (many in contravention of Codex guidelines and WHA Resolutions <sup style="font-size:13px">10</sup>) these new foods need claims to be commercially competitive. Overlooked is the fact that GAIN’s approach would undermine the efforts of those governments trying to protect child health by banning inappropriate marketing and promotional claims.</div>
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Labels should stress the importance of sustained breastfeeding after 6 months, that industrial by-products such as de-fatted cotton-seed flour (used as animal feeds or fertilizer) should not be used in baby foods. <br></div>
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Because so much agenda time was spent on discussion about other nutrition issues, such as the level of scientific evidence needed nutrient reference values and labelling, there was no time to address the New Zealand proposal for a review of the Follow-on Milk standard or the India Proposal for cereal-based foods for underweight children. In their comments, IBFAN and IACFO highlighted the harm caused by the marketing of milks for older babies, which are not necessary and should be the same composition as infant formula. <sup style="font-size:13px">11</sup></div>
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For more information contact: Patti Rundall, Baby Milk Action/IBFAN/IACFO <a href="tel:%2B44%207786%20523493" value="+447786523493" target="_blank">+44 7786 523493</a> <a href="mailto:prundall@babymilkaction.org" target="_blank">prundall@babymilkaction.org</a>, Elisabeth Sterken: National Director, INFACT Canada <a href="mailto:esterken@infactcanada.ca" target="_blank">esterken@infactcanada.ca</a></div>
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