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Status: Closed — this petition is no longer accepting signatures.

Nestle, stop patenting human milk components!

Nestle, stop patenting human milk components!

Closed — 1,069 supporters Verified

Final supporters

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+1,059 more
VM
Started by Valerie McClain 13 years, 3 months ago
Nestle (Nestec S.A.) has patents and patent applications at the US Patent & Trademark Office that makes claims on the use of human milk components to create new infant formulas, foods, food supplements, and pharmaceuticals. These patents and patent applications are destructive to the preservation and protection of breastfeeding. The commercialism of human milk component products reduces a natural, traditional, and free life-giving activity into a commodity that can be bought, sold, and profited by an industry. An industry that has made its profits on the destruction of breastfeeding. For centuries, breastfeeding has been a safety-net for babies against disease, hunger, and death. A breastfeeding mother need not depend on the whims of the market or the actions of huge companies whose purpose is profits. In 1955 Edward R, Murrow asked Jonas Salk, inventor of the vaccine against polio, "Who owns the patent on the vaccine?" Salk answered, "Well the people I would say. There is no patent. Could you patent the sun?" How times have changed and now we have an industry that believes that they have the right to patent from a natural substance.

Updates

Reached 1,000 supporters

September 18, 2014

September 17, 2014

The signature count is ascending toward our initial threshold of one thousand. Achieving this mark will demonstrate a unified public rejection of the commodification of human health. Please direct your contacts to this page to assist us in reaching this objective.

Reached 100 supporters

April 28, 2013

April 26, 2013

The number of signatures is nearing one hundred. Please invite your contacts to sign this petition so we can present a stronger case against the patenting of human milk components.

88 Comments

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Aayesha Bhattay
10 years ago Featured

Nestle has a dreadful track record with its aggressive marketing of infant formula worldwide. They now plan to patent human milk components for commercial gain and continue undermining breastfeeding. They must be stopped.

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Nadine Heggen
11 years ago Featured

Erst Trinkwasser klauen, in Flaschen abfüllen und verkaufen und nun Teile von Muttermilch patentieren lassen... Wohin soll das führen?! :(

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Trulle Josephine Yperman
11 years ago Featured

Looks like Nestle would like to privatise and pantent all common goods... I deliberately stopped buying their products a long time ago exactly because of this.And to all the mums out there: your body is more than capable of feeding your own baby. Have some trust in yourself and be supportive of (other) mums willing to breastfeed.

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Beverly Smith
11 years ago Featured

How is it possible that you would even consider allowing a patent for something millions of women, including your mother, carries around in their bodies? This is ludicrous...and wrong. Can you see women being exploited for their milk production, because you have allowed the commercialization of it? I can. Stop this stupidity, PLEASE!

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Hanne Beittel
12 years ago Featured

patenting human milk components is totally absurd, but more than that it is extremely dangerous as it is part of a larger aggressive effort of companies to put patents on natural life substances that belong to all who live on this planet

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Bárbara Heliodora G. Rodrigues
12 years ago Featured

That's theft! You cannot patent life nor gave any control over biodiversity, food soverignity, nor human bodies!

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Pamela
10 years ago

No company has he patent on human milk components. Industrial made products can never be the same-no patent on its camponents

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Lilia Rohde
10 years ago

Das Natürliche muss natürlich bleiben!

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