A ProPublica investigation has revealed that over 15 months, U.S. trade officials collaborated with the $47B baby formula industry to weaken Thailand’s proposed ban on formula marketing. This effort was part of a broader, decades-long global campaign to protect America's significant baby formula production and export business. Documents uncovered show U.S. trade representatives aggressively sought to undermine a WHO resolution that encouraged limits on marketing toddler formula, while U.S. health agencies, including the CDC and HHS, defended the measure, citing "significant evidence" against the U.S. trade representatives' claims. The investigation also found that U.S. trade officials pressured other countries, including Hong Kong and Indonesia, leading to the dilution of their formula regulations.
The 2014 #Saweto murders have become emblematic of the criminal violence faced by environmental defenders and indigenous communities in the Peruvian Amazon. After a decade long search for justice, a verdict is now just weeks away. https://t.co/mH8LByMZ8m
Federal trade agencies worked with baby formula companies to fight restrictions on marketing while pressuring countries to water down or strike their laws. We obtained thousands of pages of records that provide a rare window into this campaign. https://t.co/dUFyaVgM5k
Hong Kong watered down some of its formula regulations after objections from US trade officials, who said the rules “could result in significant commercial loss for US companies.” A proposal in Indonesia stalled after questions from the US. https://t.co/kItjb2dYf6
Multinational corps use Investor-State Dispute Settlement provisions in an existing US trade agreement to intimidate Central American countries from strengthening health, environmental & worker protections. @RepLindaSanchez & I urged the Biden Admin to remove such provisions. https://t.co/VWG87h9EFG
Rights court condemns Peru over one of world’s most polluted towns https://t.co/rkPPGTqwfN
In 2009, a Canadian gold mining company tried to sue El Salvador for “lost profits” under toxic ISDS provisions after community action forced a permit suspension. Now, Reps in Congress are calling on @POTUS to remove this provision from CAFTA! 📣 STOP CORPORATE EXTORTION! https://t.co/tADIf9z2vz
The Inter-American Court of Human Rights condemned Peru over one of the world's most polluted towns, an Andean city which is home to a heavy metal smelter that has poisoned residents and the environment for almost a century https://t.co/Vzfaf4vt4P
⚠️ 7 years since El Salvador's historic metals mining ban, groups condemn the criminalization of water defenders & warn that Guatemala's Cerro Blanco mine continues to imperil water sources 📢 FREE the #SantaMarta5 & all political prisoners! 📢 DEFEND El Salvador's mining ban! https://t.co/GZ494Cy0Sj
On the question of whether formula promotions were tied to mothers ending breastfeeding early, US trade reps claimed there was no evidence to support this claim while the CDC & HHS countered that there was "significant evidence" to support it. https://t.co/UseZeWVnkP
The US effort to fight baby formula regulation in Thailand was part of a decadeslong, global effort to protect America’s significant formula production and export business. https://t.co/VSYmvJw9Ki
Honduras is withdrawing from ICSID, the arm of World Bank that allows corporations to sue states for enacting policies they don’t like. Big news. Rest of signatories need to leave, too. It’s a racket which renders democracy void. Press conf at Presidential Palace in Tegus👇 https://t.co/cBjubG3i2g
When government steps between customers and producers, price signals stop working as they should. Success in the market becomes dependent on closeness to government, rather than satisfying customers. The baby-formula market is a perfect illustration of this age-old story |…
When government steps between customers and producers, price signals stop working as they should. Success in the market becomes dependent on closeness to govenmentt, rather than satisfying customers. The baby-formula market is a perfect illustration of this age-old story |…
Documents show how representatives of US trade agencies aggressively sought to weaken a WHO resolution encouraging limits on the marketing of toddler formula. At the same time, officials from US health agencies scrambled to defend the measure. https://t.co/kbmaTA2Q50
Over 15 months, U.S. trade officials worked closely with the $47B baby formula industry to wage a diplomatic and political pressure campaign to weaken Thailand’s proposed ban on formula marketing, a ProPublica investigation found. https://t.co/n14IpVn5oZ
The FTC and I don't agree on a lot these days, but the agency is right about government making a mess of the market for baby formula. New from me @NRO https://t.co/lXFkvx6JnR