FTSE4Good Breast Milk Substitutes (BMS) Marketing Criteria and its application

• Indices
  • FTSE4Good Index Series
    • Values
    • Constituents
    • Index Rules
    • Index Changes
    • Index Reviews
    • Product Specifications
• Data Licences
• FTSE Index Standards
• Student Information

This page contains further information on the FTSE4Good BMS Criteria, its application and FTSE's response to IBFAN.

1 - FTSE4Good BMS Criteria and its application

• FTSE4Good BMS Criteria
• FTSE Group leads collaboration to improve BMS practices
• FTSE4Good March 2011 Semi Annual Review
• FTSE4Good Breast Milk Substitute (BMS) Marketing Criteria and its impact on the FTSE4Good March 2011 Review
• How do the FTSE4Good BMS Criteria relate to the WHO Code

2 - FTSE4Good BMS Criteria Verification Process

As set out in the FTSE4Good BMS Criteria impact note (see fourth link above), once a BMS manufacturer meets the FTSE4Good Index inclusion criteria and enters the index it is subject to a verification assessment.

FTSE letter to Nestle regarding the verification assessment and their response

In 2011 a verification assessment was carried out on Nestle by PriceWaterhouseCoopers with assessments at Nestle's head office in Switzerland as well as at operations in India and Zambia. The verification assessment was funded by FTSE together with the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) and was also informed through input from a range of organisations.

Below is a link to a letter from Mark Makepeace, FTSE’s Chief Executive to Mr Paul Bulcke, Nestle’s CEO, where he outlines the key findings of the verification assessment. Please also find a link to Mr Bulcke’s response.

• Letter from Mr Mark Makepeace, FTSE Chief Executive to Nestle - 14 November 2011
• Reply letter from Mr Paul Bulcke, Nestle CEO - 18 November 2011

FTSE4Good BMS Verification Workshop

Following the Nestle verification assessment, a workshop was held in January 2012 to review the results of the first verification and the process itself. A summary of the workshop is provided below.

• FTSE4Good BMS Criteria Verification Workshop Summary - 16 January 2012

3 - FTSE Correspondence on the FTSE4Good BMS Criteria

• Letter to IBFAN from FTSE CEO Mark Makepeace - 17 June 2011
• Letter to IBFAN from FTSE CEO Mark Makepeace - 13 March 2012

Additional response to issues raised by Baby Milk Action regarding FTSE’s relationship with other organisations:

Chatham House - FTSE partners with a range of experts organisations around the World, and this has in the past included Chatham House, internationally recognised for their high calibre conferences. For five years, until 2009, FTSE partnered with Chatham House for their Corporate Responsibility Conference. FTSE’s role was to provide advice on the programme, but had no commercial involvement in the event, and neither contributed any funding to Chatham House, nor received any funding from any of the sponsors involved.