FEBRUARY 1980 - VOLUME 1 - NUMBER 1
R E S O U R C E S
FEBRUARY 1980 - VOLUME 1 - NUMBER 1
ReportsThe Promotion of Sweetened Condensed Milk as Infant Food The concise report by the Asia and Pacific Office of the International Organization of Consumers Unions documents the promotion of sweetened condensed milk in these Asian countries: India, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. Consumer and social action groups from each nation collected and analyzed labels from containers of condensed milk marketed by multinationals. The study identifies corporations recommending the product for use as infant food and includes copies of packaging labels in a long appendix. After interviewing medical and health professionals about problems associated with consumption of sweetened condensed milk by infants, the authors demand that containers of the product be labeled "not suitable for infants." For a copy of the report, write: International Organization of Consumers Unions Fluor: Building Energy Self-Sufficiency This report by the American Committee on Africa examines the South African operation of one of the world's largest engineering and construction firms-Fluor Corporation. By demonstrating the strategic significance of Sasol II-the $4.2 billion coal-to-oil conversion plant being built by Fluor for the South African government-the report underscores the company's critical role in promoting South African self-sufficiency. This concise study can serve as a valuable tool for activists organizing against corporate involvement in South Africa, as well as for researchers studying the role of multinational; in the apartheid economy. For a copy, write: Africa Fund Fisheries in Asia: People, Problems and Recommendations Published in August, 1979, the study is a carefully documented informative analysis of the fishing industry in Southeast-Asia. The report describes the confrontation between the capital-intensive modern fishing industry and local fishing people. It focuses on the penetration by large Japanese companies of the fishing areas of other Asian countries. This intrusion has damaged native fishing industries and led to an export-based trade, to the detriment of domestic economies and local food needs. The paper contains several useful tables, including a listing of Japan-based joint ventures in Southeast Asia, and a series of policy recommendations." For a copy of the report, write: Pacific-Asia Resource Center Seeds of the Earth: A Private or Public Resource? In this 100-page report, the Canadian Council for International Cooperation identifies multinational corporations as playing an increasingly significant role in the global agriculture system. According to the study, multinationals such as ITT are entering the seed industry in response to the growing demand for high-yield varieties created by the Green Revolution. This penetration by multinationals brings with it corporate biases toward genetic uniformity, and increased use of chemicals in plant breeding. The report persuasively argues that the trend 'towards increased uniformity may make crops susceptible to blight and disease, thereby endangering food supplies. The study also examines the spread of plant breeders rights legislation, the equivalent of patent protection for seed,_,, production. Legislation now pending in the U.S. and Canada would promote corporate control of seeds, and enable multinationals to obtain monopoly power over patented varieties. The study is available in English, French and Spanish. For a copy, write:
International Coalition for |