Mandela: The Living Legend
The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates
that 1.5 million infants die around the
world every year, because they are not
breastfed. Where water is unsafe a bottle-fed
child is up to 25 times more likely to
die as a result of diarrhoea than a breastfed
child. For this reason a marketing code
was introduced in 1981 to regulate the
marketing of breast milk substitutes.
However, companies continue to violate
its provisions. Nestlé a Swiss
company is responsible for more violations
of international standards for the marketing
of baby foods than any other company.
This malpractice contributes to the unnecessary
death and suffering of infants.
A special documentary for BBC ONE called,
Mandela: The Living Legend was broadcasted
on Wednesdays 5 and 12 March 2003 at 9.00pm.
The programme was presented by Lord Richard
Attenborough, who caused Health campaigners
to react with outrage and incredulity
at scenes of him attempting to persuade
Nelson Mandela to take half a million
pounds for his Children’s Foundation from
Nestlé in return for a photo opportunity.
In July 2000 Nelson Mandela’s Children
Fund was approached by Nestle, to contribute
towards the Fund’s AIDS Orphan Appeal,
a theme adopted for Mr Mandela’s Birthday
Celebration with children. However given
the Nestle debacle in relation to HIV/AIDS
infected mothers and their campaign on
promoting formula milk as opposed to breast
milk and the disadvantages they put out
publicly regarding breast feeding, the
Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund declined
the donation. In the documentary, Lord
Attenborough was seen telling Mandela:
“I know that if you said, ‘I
want more money,’ knowing Nestlé
as I do, if (someone like you) said I
wanted another half million or another
whatever it is for his own trust, you
would have it like that. They (Nestlé)
are so desperate to reinstitute themselves
in South Africa, to be seen to have changed
their philosophies and that they are now
totally in favour of everything he (Mandela)
stands for. May I ask him to ring you?”
Attenborough, an ambassador for Unicef
since 1987, had been severely criticised
by officials of the United Nations’ Children‘s
Fund for trying to persuade Mandela to
accept the donation. And would be speaking
to him about it in the near future to
discuss his comments and his role as a
UNICEF Ambassador. Baby Milk Action is
a non-profit organisation, which aims
to save lives, and to end the avoidable
suffering caused by inappropriate infant
feeding. Baby Milk Action works within
a global network to strengthen independent,
transparent and effective controls on
the marketing of the baby feeding industry.
Baby Milk Action’s comment on the documentary
Baby Milk Action is not aware of any official
link between Nestlé and Lord Attenborough,
but he was seen in the programme pressing
Mandela to accept a personal call from
a representative he knew at Nestlé.
Patti Rundal OBE, Policy Director at Baby
Milk Action, said: “Knowing Lord
Attenborough’s good work, it was a shock
to see him appearing to act as a messenger
for Nestlé in the documentary.
We are increasingly worried by the reports
we receive from our partners in southern
Africa about Nestlé’s aggressive
and irresponsible promotion of baby foods.
Nestlé is desperate to improve
its image by linking its name to good
causes, hoping nobody will check what
they are really doing. The case against
Nestlé is well documented. We need
to see changes on the ground, not slick
public relations.” All the information
provided in the article below was derived
from the resources listed below.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,909903,00.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2003/
http://www.babymilkaction.org/press/press06march03.html
http://iafrica.com/news/sa/217478.htm
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