101 reasons to boycott Tescos

[Shirley]

Oh I forgot... they're in Nestle's pocket too. Take a look at what makes up 90% of the BOGOF offers. It's all Nestle!

(In case anyone doesn't know I'm part of the Nestle boycott)

Me too - and I was amazed to find that they even produce pet food.. I bought a packet of dog food from the garage purina stuff... and didn't notice the nestle connection until we had started to use it. Dog didn't like it anyway and I haven't bought it since. Also the Shapes dog biscuits are off my list too - luckily I've got a recipe to make my own... and it even gives details to make a bone shaped cutter out of an old tuna tin

My three year old wanted smarties the other day - nestle again.. he screamed the shop down but I wouldn't give in and he had some green and blacks instead.

[Muddypause]

I know I'm gonna regret this. Is there a list of all Nestle products?

[Shirley]

http://www.babymilkaction.org/pages/products.html

that's the uk list

[PurpleDragon]

Have you already taken an RFID Spychip home with you? It's time to ask T***o if there's a tag in your bag.

What? WHAT?? What is this all about? I'm busy being horrified and I'm not sure why. Please please don't tell me that what I am thinking is true? Surely not? Shirl - help me out here, hon. Am I right to be paranoid?

And why are we boycotting Nestle?

Incidentally, I was in T*sco the other day (sorry ) and the wifey on the till told me that they are going to start giving extra points to people who bring their own bags, instead of using carrier bags

[Shirley]

http://www.rfidjournal.com/article/arti ... /2454/1/2/ offers a different point of view on the RFID.

And the Nestle boycott info (taken from the babymilkaction website (link above)

Nestlé is targetted with the boycott because monitoring conducted by the International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN) finds it to be responsible for more violations of the World Health Assembly marketing requirements for baby foods than any other company (see the codewatch section for profiles of the different companies to target their malpractice).

As UNICEF has said:

"Marketing practices that undermine breastfeeding are potentially hazardous wherever they are pursued: in the developing world, WHO estimates that some 1.5 million children die each year because they are not adequately breastfed. These facts are not in dispute."

Although Nestlé does dispute the facts. See the Your Questions Answered section for responses to Nestlé's denials and deception. The boycott will continue until Nestlé accepts and complies with Baby Milk Action's four-point plan for saving infant lives and ultimately ending the boycott (see Boycott News 29).

See the history of the campaign to information on how efforts to introduce independently monitored and enforced legislation are paying off and how the boycott was once called off because Nestlé promised to change its policies and practices, but broke its word so the boycott was re-launched.

According to an independent survey Nestlé is one of the most boycotted brands on the planet and the most boycotted brand in the UK. See The Guardian (1 September 2005).

[hedgewizard]

Yup, spread the word. Maybe I should start a thread on this to let a wider section of the community see it.

For anyone who finds the link a bit heavy going, Nestle has been as subtle as advertising their milk with pictures of big fat healthy babies in areas where the whole family wage will just about pay for the milk, and where there isn't safe water to make the formula up. They've also been as blatant as giving bribes to hospital staff to keep newborns away from their mothers for a week or so, feeding them on free formula milk to make breastfeeding impossible - although they got caught at that game so I don't think they do that any more.

RFID is a turkey. It produces huge amounts of data that is pretty much impossible to analyse - but then that's nothing new. I think we're a ways off from Minority Report's personalised advertising.

[The Chili Monster]

Bonios
What do I tell my four-year-old border collie?

[Ranter]

I was last in Tescos when a friend, in the UK for the first time in 7yrs, was staying with me. At the till I asked the operator if there were any radio chips in anything we had, saying we wouldn't buy it. She didn't seem to understand what I was talking about, mentioned tags on clothes. My friend was horrified.

She also checked with me before buying food, as I won't have anything Nestle in the house. I have a copy of the list from Baby Milk Action, which I keep in my purse so, if in doubt, I can check.

[Shirley]

Bonios
What do I tell my four-year-old border collie?

I can type up the dog biscuit recipe if you like

[ina]

Incidentally, I was in T*sco the other day (sorry ) and the wifey on the till told me that they are going to start giving extra points to people who bring their own bags, instead of using carrier bags

Please note - extra points, not money back... Those loyalty cards give them an extra hold on you, the consumer. They store masses of information already - apart from address and all sorts of personal details, they know exactly what you buy etc. In future they'll also know how good you are at recycling your plastic bags! And of course, points mean you feel obliged to return to the shop to make the best of the points.

[Boots]

They've also been as blatant as giving bribes to hospital staff to keep newborns away from their mothers for a week or so, feeding them on free formula milk to make breastfeeding impossible - although they got caught at that game so I don't think they do that any more.

Not sure if I buy that... I understand that companies provide formula free to hospitals as part of their marketing budget, and that hospitals accept it BUT what you are suggesting there is pretty damaging to nursing staff reputations. I consider it pretty unlikely a maternity sister could subject a mother and babe to such treatment without massive objection from mother, babe, family and the general public? Has someone been actually sacked for accepting a bribe like this and acting on it?

[ina]

BUT what you are suggesting there is pretty damaging to nursing staff reputations. I consider it pretty unlikely a maternity sister could subject a mother and babe to such treatment without massive objection from mother, babe, family and the general public? Has someone been actually sacked for accepting a bribe like this and acting on it?

Boots, we are talking about very poor, developing countries here. A lot of the mothers and families concerned will not have had any education, often can't even read the instructions on the packets, and are well disposed to believe what a person in a white coat tells them. This person in a white coat may also earn peanuts and be quite willing to convince herself/himself that they are really doing the families a favour - and the extra income will be quite useful.
It's been going on for decades - I started boycotting Nestle in the 80s, when this kind of thing was well known already. As far as I know, Nestle promised several times to clean up their act, but you keep hearing that things are still going on, maybe not quite as blatant as they used to.

[PurpleDragon]

Please note - extra points, not money back... Those loyalty cards give them an extra hold on you, the consumer. They store masses of information already - apart from address and all sorts of personal details, they know exactly what you buy etc. In future they'll also know how good you are at recycling your plastic bags! And of course, points mean you feel obliged to return to the shop to make the best of the points.

Oh, yes, I know! Not money - points. She was telling me because I had my trolley full of my own (proper - not plastic) bags, and refused her bags. She said "good for you" and we got into a conversation about the carrier bag thing. Then she told me about the 'incentive' they will be offering.

You do know that using Switch cards stores all that same info don't you? I always use cash when I can.

[PurpleDragon]

They've also been as blatant as giving bribes to hospital staff to keep newborns away from their mothers for a week or so, feeding them on free formula milk to make breastfeeding impossible - although they got caught at that game so I don't think they do that any more.

When I was in hospital after having birthed my firstborn, I was the only woman in a ward of 6 who breastfed. The others were given free bottled milk, and I was looked at askance. Sad.

[ina]

You do know that using Switch cards stores all that same info don't you? I always use cash when I can.

Do they store information like addresses as well? They shouldn't really - isn't that up to the bank to keep secret?

Also, if you apply for a loyalty card (I took the application form home once), they want to know your age, your family status, what your food preferences are (veggie or not), I believe even what income bracket you are in. None of their business, or I don't think so!