Nestlé PHL denies report it flouts Milk Code to encourage infant formula use

Nestlé Philippines has disputed a UK newspaper's report claiming it violates Philippine law by encouraging mothers to choose infant formula over breastfeeding.

"The allegations in The Guardian article do not represent Nestlé’s culture and business practices," the company said in a statement emailed by its corporate communications consultant Ed Tamayo.

"The first and most fundamental expression of our respect for mothers and babies is support for breastfeeding and compliance with the law and our own strict procedures," it added.

On February 27, The Guardian published a report stating that infant formula manufacturers Nestlé, Abbott, Mead Johnson, and Wyeth (which is now owned by Nestlé) "use aggressive, clandestine and often illegal methods" in the Philippines to encourage mothers in poor areas to use their products instead of breastfeeding.

The UK newspaper conducted the investigation with international children's charity Save The Children.

According to The Guardian, the four companies were a "constant presence" in Philippine hospitals to recommend specific powdered milk brands, a violation of Philippine laws.

"Here, they reportedly hand out 'infant nutrition' pamphlets to mothers, which appear to be medical advice but in fact recommend specific formula brands and sometimes have money-off coupons," said the Guardian.

Nestlé denied the claims, citing regulations implemented by the World Health Organization (WHO), of which the Philippines is a member.

"Nestlé strongly rejects the allegation that it does not comply with its legal obligations in the Philippines," it said.

"As everywhere in the world, we respect the WHO Code as implemented by member states or our own policy if it is stricter. We take this matter very seriously," it added.

In a separate email, Abbott said it takes the report seriously, and it has a process to take actions based on the findings.

"Abbott is committed to the ethical marketing of our products in compliance with the laws and regulations of the countries in which we do business, including the Philippines," it said.

GMA News Online has also reached out to Mead Johnson for comment.

Requests for comment were likewise sent to the Department of Health (DOH) through Secretary Francisco Duque III and its spokesperson Lyndon Lee Suy, but no response was received as of posting.

However, on February 28, The Guardian reported that the DOH said it will investigate the actions of the four milk companies.

"Officials in the DOH confirmed they had called an emergency meeting and had also passed on the violations uncovered by the Guardian to the Food and Drug Authority," The Guardian said.

It also quoted Dr. Anthony Calibo, the DOH's Children's Health Development Division chief, as saying that he was "aghast with the rampant violations that this investigation shows are still happening."

Alleged perks

Nestlé likewise denied the investigation's findings that the companies offer doctors, midwives, and local health workers free trips to lavish conferences and other perks to earn their loyalty.

"We deny allegations that we offered doctors, midwives and health workers incentives to attend conferences and encourage them to promote products covered by the World Health Organization (WHO) Milk Code," it said.

"Both Nestlé Nutrition and Wyeth Nutrition in the Philippines follow clear processes and procedures on compliance with the Philippine Milk Code (EO51)," it added.

The company said it only shoulders expenses of healthcare professionals directly related to their attendance in events which are not linked to recommending any formula products.

"We only support healthcare professionals—not family members or anyone else—who submit a written request to us endorsed by their manager," it said.

Looking forward, however, the company said it will look closely into the allegations of The Guardian and will take action if needed.

"We will investigate all the reported allegations and our employees know that we will take fast and decisive action if any wrongdoing is found," it added.

"For us to take immediate action and address any verified incidences of non-compliance, we request that The Guardian shares any evidence that it has with us. We have made the same request to Save the Children, in our response to their report ‘Don’t Push It’," it added. — BM, GMA News