Nestlé 'breaking code on baby milk for Third World'


By Jeremy Laurance Health Editor,

17 January 2003,


"Western companies including Nestlé and Danone are accused today of breaching an internationally agreed code on the promotion of baby milk in the developing world, which is contributing to the deaths of thousands of children.

Every 30 seconds, campaigners claim, a baby dies from unsafe bottle feeding. Yet despite the marketing code and an international boycott of the companies involved over more than 20 years, the trade continues....
The survey was conducted by Victor Aguayo and colleagues, and published in the British Medical Journal. The authors say urgent action is needed to ensure families get objective information on child feeding "at a time when it can mean the difference between life and death".

They add: "Infant mortality in Togo and Burkina Faso is among the highest in the world. Every year sub-optimal breast feeding is the underlying cause of an estimated 3,300 infant deaths in Togo (25 per cent of all-cause infant mortality) and over 6,200 infant deaths in Burkina Faso (11 per cent of all-cause infant mortality).""