Gifts to mothers in health care facilities

Companies are breaking the rules by ...

giving gifts to mothers that refer to a brand of a product within the scope of the Code. Such gifts promote the use of breastmilk substitutes. Even gifts that do not refer to product brands given via the health care system promote the use of breastmilk substitutes when they are associated with infants or pregnancy and show the names of companies known for producing breastmilk substitutes. And companies seem to overlook Article 6.3, which prohibits distribution of their materials within a health care facility unless the materials have objective educational content on the topic of infant feeding.

Chart 4 shows in which countries companies give gifts to mothers in health care facilities.

Other companies breaking the rules include Aponti (Germany), Boryung (Korea), Kasdorf (Argentina), Maeil (Korea), Nam Yang (Korea), Ordesa (Spain), Penetan (Spain, Germany) and Sancor (Argentina).

Many companies reach new mothers by printing and distributing materials that help the mother to monitor the health of her newborn or keep track of development milestones. These can include health monitoring cards, growth charts, baby ‘passports’, baby books and vaccination records. The gifts advertise company products, thus reminding the mother of those products each time she refers to the record. Although health monitoring cards and the like are designed to be used from birth, companies use them to advertise follow-up formula and complementary foods as well as infant formulas. It is no wonder that most mothers supplement or stop breastfeeding much too early.

In Indonesia, Dumex, Lyempf, Mead Johnson, Nestlé, Sari Husada and Nutricia/Cow & Gate each distribute health monitoring cards for keeping track of an infant's vaccinations, growth and nutrition. Those from Dumex, Lyempf, Mead Johnson, Nutricia and Sari Husada advertise follow-up milks. Nestlé and Nutricia health monitoring cards in Indonesia advertise complementary foods.

In Gabon, Danone/Diepal health cards (carnet de santé) advertise Bledine, a complementary food, while in Senegal they advertise Gallia 1 infant formula. The Mead Johnson baby passport advertises Enfalac in Mexico. Nestlé baby passports in Germany advertise Beba infant formula. Snow Brand gives antenatal care records for mothers in Thailand advertising the infant formula Snow Brand P7L. In Bangladesh, a mother received a growth chart advertising Coberco’s My Boy infant formula. Alter in Spain gives a birth record book advertising Nutriben infant formula, complementary foods and feeding bottles.

Maeil and Nam Yang in Korea give baby passports, bibs, diaper covers, gift bags and cloths marked with the brand name of either the company’s infant formula, follow-up formula or complementary food. These are given out in nearly every health care facility visited.

Other gifts given to mothers in health care facilities also promote products within the scope of the Code. In Germany, Nestlé gives out baby name bracelets with the name of Beba infant formula. It advertises its Alete line of baby foods in Germany on gift sets for new mothers, car stickers, mobiles and calendars. In Côte d’Ivoire, Nestlé distributes bibs, spoons, plates and hats marked Cerelac. Abbott Ross gives bibs, hats and baby passports to mothers in Côte d’Ivoire advertising Similac. (Check with Kounandy)

In the Philippines, Nestlé and Wyeth promote infant formula by giving gifts in return for scoops or box tops. Mothers can collect 60 scoops from tins of Nestogen in return for a water pitcher or 100 box tops of Wyeth’s Bonna in exchange for an umbrella given via a midwife.

In Thailand, Mead Johnson promotes the use of breastmilk substitutes by giving bibs and towels to new mothers marked with the company name and "My Baby’s Health Club". Mothers in Venezuela also receive Mead Johnson bibs.

A Lyempf health monitoring cards advertising Bebelac in Indonesia. .

Discharge gift sets

Lyempf gives baby gift sets including tins of Bebelac 2 in Indonesia. Nutricia/Cow & Gate also gives gift packs to new mothers in Indonesia. With the gift, mothers receive a sheet advertising Nutrima. If the mother returns the sheet to the company with names and date of birth and her address, her baby will become a member of the Nutricia Baby Club. Members receive mailings from Nutricia on a regular basis. The monthly mailing includes additional sheets which mothers are encouraged to use to enroll other mothers in the club.

Enrollment form for the Nutricia Baby Club in Indonesia.

In Germany, Hipp, Humana, Nestlé and Milupa each give gift sets to new mothers. The contents vary but are clearly meant to leave a lasting impression of the company as one associated with feeding babies. One Milupa gift set contains samples of Milupa complementary foods, leaflets about other Milupa products, a flyer for a Milupa mother counselling hotline, a sticker stating "Baby in Car" with the Milupa logo and a booklet entitled "If you are not breastfeeding". The box also contains an order form for information and for another gift box. Such order forms allow the company to build an address file of new mothers which is then used for direct mail promotions.

Milupa gives another gift box for mothers who fear their child will have allergies. Such mothers should obtain all the support possible to be able to choose to breastfeed. Instead, Milupa pushes the mother towards choosing products that are promoted as hypoallergenic. The gift pack includes samples of Aptamil HA2, Milumil HA2 and Milubrei HA rice porridge.

The Hipp Baby Club bag includes a Nuk dummy, carrot fruit juice for the breastfeeding mother, a Hipp "baby on board" car sticker , an order form for free samples and nutrition tips, an advertisement for the Hipp-Penaten Baby Club, the Hipp Nutrition Advisor and a booklet entitled "A new life starts."

Company name and logo

Abbott Ross, Danone/Diepal, Hipp, Humana, Mead Johnson, Milupa, Nutricia/Bago, Nestlé, Ordesa and Wyeth familiarize mothers with their companies early on by distributing growth charts, health monitoring cards, baby identification cards or birth certificates with their company names and logos. Wyeth, for example, distributes a lovely card of congratulations to new mothers in hospitals in Colombia. The cards are pre-printed with the name of the hospital and open up to show a place to record the baby's particulars. The words "Courtesy of Wyeth Labs" are written on the back next to the Wyeth logo. In Spain, Nestlé gives mothers ‘Baby on Board’ car stickers and baby books marked with the Nestlé name and logo.

Wyeth congratulations to new mothers in Colombia.

Mead Johnson congratulations in Thailand.

Promotion in Health Care Facilities
Free samples and supplies | Posters, calendars and other displays | Gifts to healthworkers
Informational and educational materials for mothers | Products information to health professionals