Steal
the Water, Push the Powder |
Nestlé is
again on top of the list for corporate violations around
breast-milk substitutes, a UK report reveals. Meanwhile in
Brazil, residents are opposing a Nestlé/Perrier bottling
plant, which is drying up one of the country's historic
sources of mineral water. Mike Brady |
The Serra da
Mantiqueira region of Brazil is famous for its Circuito das
Aguas, or “water circuits”, with high mineral content and
medicinal properties. Four small towns, São Lourenço, Caxambu,
Cambuquira, and Lambari, were built up around these water
circuits in the 19th century. But now the mineral content of the
water is being reduced by over-pumping by Nestle/Perrier for its
Pure Life brand.
“Around 3 years ago,
many people in São Lourenço, including myself, began to notice
a change in the taste of the mineral waters inside the Water
Park”, says Franklin Fredrick, of the Brazillian “Citizens
for Water” movement. “One of the most famous water sources
there, the Magnesiana, dried up and stopped flowing. Water
usually needs hundreds of years inside the earth to be slowly
enriched by minerals. If it is pumped in quantities greater than
nature can replace it, its mineral content will gradually
decrease, bringing the change in taste that we were noticing”.
The residents discovered that Nestlé/Perrier was pumping huge
amounts of water in the park from a well 150 meters deep. The
water was then demineralized and transformed into Pure Life
table water. “As the Brazilian constitution does not allow
mineral water to be demineralized, we brought our findings to
the attention of the public prosecutor of the State Public
Ministry in São Lourenço”, says Fredrick, “and this led to
a federal investigation of Nestlé/Perrier and charges against
the company at the end of 2001”.
Although Nestlé lost
the legal action, pumping continues as it gets through the
appeal procedures, a legal process which could take ten years.
Meanwhile, Citizens for Water organised protests against the
company and collected 3000 signatures for a petition. In June,
Franklin was one of the speakers at a human rights seminar in
Nestlé’s home town of Vevey, Switzerland. Last year the
Swiss-owned company made profits of £2.65 billion on its
products. Other speakers focused on the corporation's promotion
of Genetically Modified Organisms, exploitation of producers,
and labour-union busting. In Britain, Nestlé employs more than
6,000 workers and recently announced sales in the quarter to the
end of March of £8.7 billion, up from £8.4 billion for the
same period in 2003.
Nestlé has been
subjected to a 20-year boycott campaign over allegations that it
has persistently breached World Health Organisation rules over
promoting formula milk in developing countries. The code, drawn
up in 1981 and agreed by 118 countries, says breastfeeding
should be promoted above all other products and that leaflets
and labels relating to breast milk substitutes should do nothing
to undermine this. In the developing world, the WHO estimates
that some 1.5 million children die each year because they are
not adequately breastfed. Breastfeeding has been shown to reduce
a mother's risk of breast cancer by up to 4.3 per cent
But Nestlé and other
companies have been accused of flouting the rules with
advertising, free samples, promotions and sponsorships. Milk
substitutes have been promoted as modern in developing countries,
despite the fact that the lack of clean water means infection
and death is rife because of contaminated milk. The latest
monitoring report from the International Baby Food Action
Network (IBFAN) profiles the aggressive marketing practices of
the big 16 baby food companies and 14 bottle and teat companies.
The report, “Breaking the Rules, Stretching the Rules”,
checked some 3,000 complaints from monitors in 69 countries
around the world. After legal examination about 2,000 violations
were reported, many with photos. Again Nestlé is found
responsible for more violations than any other company. In
Thailand, it gives out samples of its milk substitutes to
mothers in a marketing scheme. It provides free products to
health-care facilities from China to Armenia to Peru. In Egypt,
packaging and advertising of Nestlé powders repeatedly use
phrases such as “identical to breast-milk” or “as in
breast-milk”. In Venezuela, it distributes aprons with the
company logo to nurses and other workers at pediatric wards. An
8-page brochure found in a hospital in Botswana proclaims that
“Growing up is Thirsty Work” and promotes Lactogen “for
the hungry full-term infant”.
The launch of the
report coincides with parliamentary efforts “calling for the
UK government to take action to implement and support the
International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes and
subsequent, relevant Resolutions in the UK and internationally”.
In the week prior to the launch, Nestlé was in the news as the
high-profile charity Breakthrough Breast Cancer refused a
donation of £1 million from the company. An official reason
wasn't given, but it is understood that the staff at the charity
called the organisation to reject the money. Nestlé (UK) CEO
Alastair Sykes then blasted campaigners in letters to the press,
claiming that Nestlé abides by the marketing requirements and
is a force for good in the world. Among other things, he boasted
of Nestlé’s involvement in the Brazilian government’s Zero
Hunger initiative. The programme, which was intended to promote
small-scale family agriculture, is now distributing Nestlé
processed foods, including milk powder.
Recommended links:
Movimento Cidadania
pelas Águas, São Lourenço:
http://www.cidadaniapelasaguas.net/
(in Portuguese)
Nestlé profile from
Corporate Watch:
http://www.corporatewatch.org.uk/profiles/food_supermarkets/nestle/nestle1.html
Baby Milk Action:
http://www.babymilkaction.org/
International Baby
Food Action Network:
http://www.ibfan.org/
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