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On Monday, Nestle announced it had purchased Pfizer's infant nutrition unit, which will strengthen their ability to sell infant formula in emerging markets, particularly in Asia.
On Monday, Nestle announced it had purchased Pfizer's infant nutrition unit, which will strengthen their ability to sell infant formula in emerging markets, particularly in Asia. The move is not surprising, since 85 percent of Pfizer's infant nutrition revenues came from developing countries, where Nestle is also looking to expand its sales of bottled water.

How do we know this? Nestle has declared both its Pure Life brand of bottled water and infant formula as "Popularly Positioned Products" (PPP) that target "less affluent consumers in emerging markets". Two weeks ago, we mentioned Nestle's report outlining this strategy in this blog. For some reason, the report is no longer available on Nestle's site without the requisite log-in information. But we've reposted the document here.
Our executive director, Wenonah Hauter, released this statement in response to Nestle's purchase of Pfizer's infant nutrition unit:
This renewed focus on growing the market for its infant formula products is troubling given the corporation's track record of using dubious practices to market infant formula in developing countries, where it is often prepared in unhygienic conditions with unsafe water....Surely, it is no coincidence that many mothers will prepare the formula with bottled water--which will no doubt benefit Nestle's emerging market strategy.
Selling bottled water to poor people, and pushing infant formula on poor but otherwise healthy mothers who may not have access to safe drinking water is doing what Nestle does best: undermining public health in the name of profit.
For more on Nestle's plan to market bottled water in developing nations to offset the drop-off in sales from developed countries, read our report, Hanging on for Pure Life.
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
On Monday, Nestle announced it had purchased Pfizer's infant nutrition unit, which will strengthen their ability to sell infant formula in emerging markets, particularly in Asia. The move is not surprising, since 85 percent of Pfizer's infant nutrition revenues came from developing countries, where Nestle is also looking to expand its sales of bottled water.

How do we know this? Nestle has declared both its Pure Life brand of bottled water and infant formula as "Popularly Positioned Products" (PPP) that target "less affluent consumers in emerging markets". Two weeks ago, we mentioned Nestle's report outlining this strategy in this blog. For some reason, the report is no longer available on Nestle's site without the requisite log-in information. But we've reposted the document here.
Our executive director, Wenonah Hauter, released this statement in response to Nestle's purchase of Pfizer's infant nutrition unit:
This renewed focus on growing the market for its infant formula products is troubling given the corporation's track record of using dubious practices to market infant formula in developing countries, where it is often prepared in unhygienic conditions with unsafe water....Surely, it is no coincidence that many mothers will prepare the formula with bottled water--which will no doubt benefit Nestle's emerging market strategy.
Selling bottled water to poor people, and pushing infant formula on poor but otherwise healthy mothers who may not have access to safe drinking water is doing what Nestle does best: undermining public health in the name of profit.
For more on Nestle's plan to market bottled water in developing nations to offset the drop-off in sales from developed countries, read our report, Hanging on for Pure Life.
On Monday, Nestle announced it had purchased Pfizer's infant nutrition unit, which will strengthen their ability to sell infant formula in emerging markets, particularly in Asia. The move is not surprising, since 85 percent of Pfizer's infant nutrition revenues came from developing countries, where Nestle is also looking to expand its sales of bottled water.

How do we know this? Nestle has declared both its Pure Life brand of bottled water and infant formula as "Popularly Positioned Products" (PPP) that target "less affluent consumers in emerging markets". Two weeks ago, we mentioned Nestle's report outlining this strategy in this blog. For some reason, the report is no longer available on Nestle's site without the requisite log-in information. But we've reposted the document here.
Our executive director, Wenonah Hauter, released this statement in response to Nestle's purchase of Pfizer's infant nutrition unit:
This renewed focus on growing the market for its infant formula products is troubling given the corporation's track record of using dubious practices to market infant formula in developing countries, where it is often prepared in unhygienic conditions with unsafe water....Surely, it is no coincidence that many mothers will prepare the formula with bottled water--which will no doubt benefit Nestle's emerging market strategy.
Selling bottled water to poor people, and pushing infant formula on poor but otherwise healthy mothers who may not have access to safe drinking water is doing what Nestle does best: undermining public health in the name of profit.
For more on Nestle's plan to market bottled water in developing nations to offset the drop-off in sales from developed countries, read our report, Hanging on for Pure Life.