I read this article today and was surprised to find something new in the world of formula companies to be shocked by. I know all about the companies (Nestle in particular) going into Africa and hooking babies on formula, which leads to their deaths (google it). This was a new atrocity, and I can't decide what is more awful: doing it on purpose to gain new customers or doing it on accident because they honestly don't understand the dangers.
In case you don't want to read the article, I'll sum it up. Indonesia has discovered that after a natural disaster (like the big tsunami), formula companies rush in to donate formula. They don't mention that bottles need to be sterilized, the water needs to be boiled first, or that there are certain amounts of powder you need to mix in. Babies and toddlers are dying of diarrhea and are becoming malnourished. Women who are breastfeeding at the time of the disasters are being convinced to give bottles, and by the time things have settled down, their milk is dried up. The government is calling for guidelines and rules for the next disaster: formula is only to be given to babies/toddlers whose mothers have died in the catastrophe or ones who were already being fed that way. They also have a national problem with a low breastfeeding rate because formula companies are advertising that their product is better for babies' brain development than breastmilk!!! The government is also trying to hold the companies accountable to the truth.
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