The Politics of Breastfeeding: When Breasts Are Bad for Business ‐ by Gabrielle Palmer

Care in Crisis: An Applied Model of Care Considerations for Ethical Strategic Communication

“…These landscapes are addressed briefly in turn, drawing from the Nestlé and Uber crisis exemplars for conceptual application, as discussed next. A century ago, powdered artificial milk formula was produced as an alternative to human breast milk for feeding infants (Koerber, 2013;Palmer, 2009). Formula became popular among physicians and parents and began to displace human milk as the preferred food for infants in industrialized countries (Palmer, 2009).…”

“…A century ago, powdered artificial milk formula was produced as an alternative to human breast milk for feeding infants (Koerber, 2013;Palmer, 2009). Formula became popular among physicians and parents and began to displace human milk as the preferred food for infants in industrialized countries (Palmer, 2009). In the mid-1900s, however, birthrates in industrialized nations began to decline, and formula manufacturers sought to create new markets in impoverished and agrarian countries, a move that proved catastrophic (Baker, 1985).…”

“…For example, Nestlé not only supplied hospitals and physicians with free samples of their products to distribute to mothers, it also gave expensive gifts and promotional products to healthcare professionals, plausibly construed as incentive for recommending Nestlé formula to patients over other formula-and most notably as a replacement for breast milk. A perhaps even more poignant example of unethical marketing, Nestlé was infamous for its milk nurses, sales representatives dressed as nurses who went to impoverished communities to distribute samples, giving the impression that medical professionals were recommending and dispensing Nestlé formula (Palmer, 2009). Aside from not being medical professionals, milk nurses also rarely instructed mothers how to properly prepare, store, and use the formula.…”

“…Further, low literacy rates prevented many mothers from reading even native-language instructions. In turn, improper use of formula by unknowing mothers caused many babies to become ill and even die (Palmer, 2009). Compounding such issues, when lactating mothers begin supplementing or replacing breastmilk with formula, lactation slows or stops, making future breastfeeding difficult or impossible.…”

“…The number of babies becoming ill, starving, and dying from misuse of formula, along with Nestlé's promotion strategies, drew international attention to the industry. Many groups responded to the crisis, including the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations International Children's Economic Fund (UNICEF), the World Council of Churches, and the British activist group War on Want, to name just a few (Palmer, 2009). In the late 1960s, influential organizations including WHO and UNICEF initiated discussions about formula use in developing countries, marketing practices, and increased regulation of the infant food industry (Baker, 1985).…”