What is your response to the study of the John Hopkins Bloomberg School Public Health, which alleges that Nestlé targets doctors in low-income communities in Peru despite bans?
Nestlé is firmly committed to promoting breastfeeding and protecting it. We apply an industry-leading policy for the marketing of breastmilk substitutes. We comply with the WHO Code for Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes and WHA resolutions, as implemented by national governments everywhere in the world, including in Peru.
We were made aware of the study published by the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health on breastmilk substitute marketing practices in peri-urban Lima, in Peru.
In Peru, Nestlé fully complies with the provisions of local legislation (Supreme Decret 009-2006-SA) which allows sharing evidence-based scientific information exclusively with healthcare professionals, including lending support to their continuing medical education. We do not distribute samples of products intended for babies between 0 to 24 months either to healthcare professionals or to mothers.
We would like to have an open dialogue with the authors of the report to better understand the details of the study and to provide information on our policies and practices, as we were not contacted by them prior to the publication of the results. We always investigate all concerns related to our breastmilk substitute marketing practices and promptly address any instances of non-compliance reported to us.