Table 5.
Corporate policies (voluntary self-regulation) adopted by Big Formula on marketing, lobbying and political financing
| Corporation | Nestlé | Danone | RBMJ | Abbott | RFC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Policy name (date of latest version) |
Policy and Procedures for the Implementation of the WHO International Code of Marketing of Breast-Milk Substitutes (2017) | Policy for the marketing of breast-milk substitutes; Procedures manual (2018) | Infant & Child Nutrition Pledge; Policy and Procedures on the Marketing of Breast-Milk Substitutes (2018) | Policy on the marketing of infant formula – global policy (2017) | Corporate Policy for the Marketing of Infant Foods; Corporate Standard for the Marketing of Infant Foods (2017) |
| Year of first corporate policy (revisions) |
1982 (1996, 2004, 2010, 2017) |
2011 (2012, 2013, 2016, 2018) |
2017 (IFM’s policy before this) |
2016 (IFM’s policy before this) |
– |
| Compliance with The Code 2018 (2016); ATNI score (#rank) |
45% (36%) #2 |
46% (31%) #1 |
10% (5%) #5 |
34% (7%) #3 |
25% (24%) #4 |
| General compliance statement | Corporate policy, or national regulations, whichever stricter | Corporate policy, or national regulations, whichever stricter | Corporate policy, or national regulations, whichever stricter | Corporate policy, or national regulations, whichever stricter | Corporate policy, or national regulations, whichever stricter |
| Scope of countries included | ‘Higher-risk countries’ onlyα | Worldwide and ‘Higher-risk countries’α | ‘Higher-risk countries’ onlyα | Worldwide and ‘Higher-risk countries’β | Worldwide |
| Products covered worldwide in corporate policy | – | Standard formula (0-6 m); any other BMS (0-6 m); delivery products; excludes specialised formulas | – | Standard formula (0-6 m); any other BMS, including complementary foods (0-6 m) | Standard, follow-up and special formulas (0-12 m); some products with same brand name / logo |
| Products also covered in ‘higher-risk’ countriesα | Standard & follow-up formula (0-12 m); certain specialised formulas; bottles and teats | Follow-up formula (6-12 m); complementary foods & drinks (0-6 m) | Standard & follow-up formula (0-12 m); delivery products; complementary foods (0-6 m); excludes specialised formulas | Standard & follow-up formula (0-12 m); bottles and teats (0-12 m) | – |
| Corporate third-party auditors listed on website | FTSE4Good since 2011 (PWC audits every 18 months); Bureau Veritas (audits 3 countries / year); ATNI | FTSE4Good since 2016 (PWC audits every 18 months); ATNI; others | ATNI | ATNI | ATNI |
| Policy on corporate lobbying | Policy on Transparent Interactions with Public Authorities | Global Advocacy Policy 2017 | Global Responsible Advocacy Policy | Corporate political participation | – |
| Policy on political financing | Allowed with executive permission; allowed by third parties | Not allowed; allowed by third parties | Not allowed; allowed by third parties | Allowed (US); allowed by third parties | – |
Notes: Data sourced from company websites and reports; α = countries are classed as ‘higher-risk countries’ by the FTSE4Good Breast Milk Substitutes Marketing Criteria when having high rates of mortality (> 10 per 1000) or acute malnutrition (> 2%) in children aged under five; β = for Abbott ‘higher-risk countries’ are defined, although without clarification, by reference to the Global Nutrition Report 2016; Nestlé also has a Code of Interaction with Healthcare Professionals and Institutions for Nestlé Nutrition Business Units, and a Standard for Donations or Low-Cost Supplies for use in Emergencies and for Social Purposes; the others include these in their overarching policies. FTSE4Good commissions Pricewaterhouse Coopers to verify BMS marketing practices against 104 criteria in higher-risk countries. Corporate policies apply to employees of each corporation, and third parties including agents, distributors and other partners. The policies listed in this table only represent corporate policies on BMS; similar policies also exist for several otherenvironmental, social and governance (ESG) issues