Response from Nestle to PHDinParenting – Part 3

–>see my experience at the Happy, Healthy Gathering at Nestle USA event

–>see “Response from Nestle to PHDinParenting” – Part 1 & Part 2

Annie’s (from phdinparenting.com) questions are in bold.

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October 23, 2009

Dear Annie,

Thank you once again for your patience.  Following are the remaining responses to your original set of questions.

Sincerely,

Edie Burge

Is your 800 number just for breastfeeding support?  What is the scope of that phone line?

Our trained experts are able to discuss a wide variety of topics with both new and experienced moms that include a wide array of questions ranging from breastfeeding to infant, toddler and preschooler feeding and nutrition questions.  We help provide parents and caregivers with answers to the nutritional needs of children aged up to age 4.  Parents are able to reach us 24 hours a day 7 days a week and help is always available.

What are the qualifications of the staff?  What percentage of them are International Board Certified lactation consultants?

The contact center for Nestle Infant Nutrition has a staff of feeding experts including registered dietitians and breastfeeding educators.  All registered Nestlé Infant Nutrition call center dietitians are members of the American Dietetic Association (ADA) and have an average of ten years of experience in Pediatric Nutrition.  Our Breastfeeding Educators have completed their certification requirements through UCLA  (University of California, Los Angeles UCLA Extension) and The Lactation Institute.  The program provides both comprehensive “hands-on” and theoretical training. The length of the time it takes to complete the program varies, as is the case with many educational endeavors, however certification is granted only when all requirements for certification have been met.   Our breastfeeding educators are not board certified by IBCLC.

Do you have statistics on your help line (how many calls, nature of questions asked)?

Our trained experts are able to discuss a wide variety of topics with both new and experienced moms that include a wide array of questions ranging from breastfeeding to infant, toddler and preschooler feeding and nutrition questions.  We help provide parents and caregivers with answers to the nutritional needs of children aged up to age 4.  Parents are able to reach us 24 hours a day 7 days a week.  We never close. We are the only infant nutrition company who is always there for mom and her baby 24/7/365.  Regarding the specific questions about the exact number of contacts, we treat this and any other sensitive information as confidential.

Your Nestle Instructions for Implementation of the WHO International Code of Marketing of Breast-Milk Substitutes includes a Complaint Form in Annex 3. How many complaint forms are received annually? Do you have any statistics or reports on the nature and geographic location of the violations reported?

Formal complaints sent through the Complaint Form in Annex 3 of Nestlé Instructions are extremely rare. However, we do receive complaints through other means, such as emails, letters or calls to our consumer services. Nestlé takes allegations of non-compliance with the WHO International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes very seriously and investigates each one of them. Nestlé wishes to learn of all concerns regarding our marketing practices for it is only then that we will be able to correct mistakes or better inform our partners, such as distributors of our products.

Nestlé has put in place an elaborate monitoring system to ensure compliance with the WHO Code. This includes regular corporate audits, an ombudsman system for employees to report suspicions of WHO Code violations, and external audits of Code compliance. However, we recognize that there are no perfect monitoring system in such complex arena as Code application and/or national legislations in so many countries. This is why if allegations are recorded, they should be sent to the company immediately so that an investigation can take place and corrections made if necessary.

For more information, please read our response to the International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN)’s report “Breaking the Rules, Stretching the Rules” (2007): http://www.babymilk.nestle.com/NR/rdonlyres/14F9B348-0329-4DB7-8A68-2BB0A1450F2A/97053/2009NestleInvestigationofReportedNonCompliancewith.pdf

Moving forward, what steps do you plan to take to use social media and engagement with bloggers to get input into corporate policies and practices? Or are you looking to social media simply as a cost effective marketing tool?

We are always looking for ways to engage in meaningful dialogue with consumers and others interested in Nestlé. Certainly, engaging in social media will continue to be one of many ways we try to do that. We welcome ideas from you and your readers. We hope you’ll visit us at http://creatingsharedvalue.org to share your comments, opinions and questions.