Press Release: Havaianas for Operation Smile (Design A Smile)

N loves arts and crafts!  Every afternoon, she bugs her yaya to help her make cards, drawings, etc. When I get home from work, I always find her handmade items inserted in my laptop, with her waiting expectantly for me to read them.  Hence, this activity during the Mommy Mundo Bazaar on 24 - 25 November 2012 at the Rockwell Tent got N excited.

The Mommy Mundo and Havaianas team are helping out Operation Smile - which is a non-profit group who operates on kids with cleft palates.  The project is called Design a Smile which is a series of one-day contests for 5-12 year old kids who will be asked to answer the question "What will you do to make other people smile" through a drawing.   What makes this exciting is that the winning entry will be made into actual flip flops with the proceeds from the sale going to the surgeries.   For more details, please refer to the Press Release below.  N will definitely be joining!

DepEd bans milk giveaways in schools!

Finally, 5 years the issuance of the Revised Rules and Regulations Implementing the Milk Code and 3 years after the passage of the Expanded Breastfeeding Promotion, DepEd has put in action the requirements under this law.  On 23 October 2012 (my birthday - yay!), the Department of Education issued Department Order No. 80, series of 2012, entitled "Strengthening the Integration of Breastfeeding Education in the Curriculum, Setting Up and Sustaining the Operation of Lactation Stations in Schools and Compliance with Executive Order No. 51.

Introducing Mommy Mundo SoMoms

During the early days of N, the internet was my best friend.  I was always chatting with friends especially about breastfeeding and newborn care.   I also didn't work for the first 6 months of N's life and found that I had too much time on my hands.  I was micromanaging our household and bugging S to death.  I decided to bring in nursing bras because I noticed that there were very limited options locally available.

Unplugging the Plugs

I am prone to plugged ducts - particularly my left breast.  More so because I am a pumping mama and I pump about 4x per day.  Not more than one breastfeeding expert (Lita Nery, Nanay Ines, etc. etc) has told me that pumping makes me more prone to plugged ducts because a breastpump is not as efficient and effective as a baby in draining out milk.  However, I never learned the art of hand expression and I work outside the home Monday to Friday.  So to keep my babies well-fed, I rely on my pump.

Why I don't buy Nestle Fresh Milk

Whenever moms ask me what fresh milk to give their toddlers, I always say any milk except Nestle.  Our family has started supporting the Nestle boycott and I will be blogging about this.  But for now, if you want to learn more about the Nestle Boycott, read this page.

I received an email today from one of my clients.  This is a personal and first hand account and not something passed through email.  Here's what she has to say:

After consuming the contents of 1 of the cartons, our yaya was surprised that the carton was still a bit heavy. She shook the carton & there was still something inside. Upon opening, we discovered a large foreign object inside. It was white, as wide and as long as the carton and about 3 inches tall, as you can see in the picture below. Upon close inspection, we still were not sure what it was. Seemed like it was plastic, paper, tissue & curdled milk all mushed into 1 piece. It started to grow moulds & smell "sour" after a few hours.

We called the Nestle Philippines customer service, who did not offer any more answers. They just noted the lot number and said a representative will pick it up and subject it to a lab test. The result, they promised, will be out in 4-6 weeks! If it is poisonous, I said, my kids will be in the hospital much sooner than that!

We are still waiting for the lab result but my kids are all fine. For our peace of mind, we still want to know what it is and if it poses a short or long-term harm on my kids. Like any parent, it's natural to be paranoid. Better safe than sorry.

If you drink Nestle fresh milk, please check the lot number. If it falls under the same batch as this one (pictured below) cut open the carton first & inspect before drinking. Won't hurt to be extra careful!

Think twice before buying!

What is this?!!

If you use Nestle milk, check the batch number of your box!

So think twice before you choose Nestle!


Update 13 November 2012:

Here's an update from A, the consumer affected in the story:

When Mrs. A first called the customer service hotline, the representatives did not know how to address her concerns.  She was quite frustrated because all she wanted for Nestle to do was as soon as the foreign material is brought to the lab, someone contacts her and tells her what it is.  This eliminates her concerns of food poisoning, lead poisoning or any form of long-term poisoning to her kids.  The customer service hotline people were more concerned in following protocol than listening to her concern.  As parents, we know how it feels to worry about our kids, especially knowing something may be wrong but not being able to pin point what it exactly is. 

On 12 November 2012, Nestle's Customer Rep (let's call him Mr. Rep) called Mrs. A again.  He explained that the foreign object was curdled milk.  Mr. Rep stated that he checked with their plant in New Zealand and there was no issue with that batch.  Next, he checked the packaging plant and there was also no issue.  Finally, he checked with their quality assurance and stated that there was also no issues on that end.

Mr. Rep claimed that sometimes retailers do not follow their suggested display procedure.  He stated that there are only xx cartons that should be stacked up on display.  If the retailer stacked more than xx number of cartons, the quality of milk is affected. 

Mrs. A doubts this.  And so do I.  How can the quality of milk be affected by the number of cartons stacked?  The milk box is sealed, tight as a drum.  Mrs. A also stated that the milk was only opened the day before consumption and was tightly sealed using Nestle's flip top seal.  The milk was fully consumed the day after opening because the rest of the liquid milk was not spoiled or did not smell sour.  Apparently, Mr. Rep explained that even pasteurized milk can separate and a portion may curdle but the rest of the milk still stays fresh.  Mrs. A still does not understand how this can be a possibility ???

As I explained to Mrs. A, Nestle will do everything to protect itself and will shift the blame to the retailer or consumer.  Mr. Rep also explained to Mrs. A that if the flip top is not sealed properly and water enters the box, it may also cause curdling. But how can the curdled milk become so big.. about 1/4 of the entire milk box volume. Still an unsolved and disturbing mystery.

Tsk, tsk, tsk Nestle!