Breast milk and breast milk substitutes
Henri Nestlé founded our company in 1866 on a single product, an infant cereal, which was created to save the life of a neighbor’s child. He declared in his Memorial of the Nutrition of Infants that breastfeeding was best for babies and that every mother able to breastfeed should do so.
This original principle still forms the cornerstone of our Infant Formula Marketing Policy which is in-line with the WHO Code of Marketing Breast-milk Substitutes.
However, not all mothers breastfeed, and infant formula is the only product recognised by the World Health Organization (WHO) as an acceptable substitute for breast milk. Infant formula, with its specially adapted nutrition, has ensured the healthy development of many children around the world and replaces dangerous breast milk substitutes. We provide high-quality, safe and nutritious infant formula products and are committed to their responsible sale and marketing. On the pack, we inform consumers and health professionals of the benefits and superiority of breast milk; product labels and educational materials also carry preparation instructions as well as warnings about inappropriate use.
Nutrition during the first three years of life
Globally, malnutrition actually becomes most serious among infants after six months of age, when nutritional ‘complementary foods’ (cereals, milks, puréed vegetables and meats) become critical to health and survival. Nestlé is the world's leader in producing and promoting these foods, which typically replace foods like corn starch or rice - or even soft drinks and French fries. In addition, Nestlé is the only major company that markets complementary foods only after six months of age in developing countries.