Nestle and the American Academy of Pediatrics: HALF baked project idea

It's not every day that a company known to peddle products linked to both childhood and adult obesity teams up with a medical group determined to battle childhood obesity, but that's exactly what has happened with the Healthy Active Living for Families Right from the Start program (HALF). The American Academy of Pediatrics has teamed up with Nestle, whose Purina Petcare Company's corporate headquarters are located in St. Louis.

A study in the United Kingdom was recently ended early when it discovered that feeding infants an enriched formula caused their fat mass to be 22-38% higher than their standard formula-fed counterparts. Children were found to be significantly more likely to be overweight at ages 5 and 8.

It's not just enriched formula, however. Breastfed babies have been shown to be less likely to struggle with childhood obesity (and some studies suggest even adult obesity) than formula fed babies, according to the CDC.

Nestle has been under fire for years and is currently being boycotted for violating the World Health Organization's International Code on the Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes for the way they market their formula products. The timing of this marriage between the AAP and Nestle is interesting -- October 25-31 has been named International Nestle Free Week for their inappropriate marketing techniques.

To the American Academy of Pediatrics: If you truly want to promote Healthy Active Living for Families Right from the Start, perhaps you should team up with a program that encourages breastfeeding. Or at least does not make a practice of actively discouraging it.

Sources: WebMD; the American Academy of Pediatrics; the Center for Disease Control.

Breastfeeding is a mother's gift to herself, her baby and the earth.  ~Pamela K. Wiggins