The 3 Minute Activist
Wegman's and Welch's

This letter to Wegman's and Welch's is about a pamphlet they distribute called "Weaning: A Turning Point for Mother and Child" that contains some serious errors.

Success! After receiving numerous letters from members of the ProMoM community, Wegman's decided to no longer distribute this pamphlet. Below is our initial letter and their final response.

Wegman's Response

Over the last few months many of you have shared your concern with Wegmans Food Markets regarding the "Weaning - A Turning Point for Mother & Child" brochure provided by Welch's (www.welchs.com or 1-800-340-6870). We are pleased to let you know that several weeks ago we pulled this brochure from our Baby Care Club kits which offers promotional materials to our customers who are eligible to subscribe.

We hope that in good faith, the link to our email address will be removed from the promom.org Three Minute Activist page at this time. Please let your members know that we appreciated them sharing their thoughts
with us, as their feedback helped form this decision.

Thank You,
Wegmans Consumer Affairs

The Letter

Dear Sir or Madam:

Because of the excellent reputation that Welch's and Wegman's have among consumers, I am writing to let you know that the pamphlet, "Weaning: A Turning Point for Mother and Child" contains serious errors. This pamphlet, produced by Welch's and distributed by Wegeman's, draws upon outdated information by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). The copyright is dated 1991, and in the intervening ten years since the recommendations you have excerpted were first adopted, the AAP has changed its position on offering juice. It is now recommended that there be no solids, juice or supplements offered until the child is six months or older.

Additionally, though the topic is weaning, the pamphlet has an inherent bias toward bottle feeding, as evidenced by its numerous references to formula, both in the text and sample menu plans. The AAP recommends breastfeeding for the first year of life, and, if mutually desired by both mother and child, beyond one year. In fact, the 1997 AAP policy states, in part, "breastmilk is the only food required for optimal nutrition in the first 6 months." Breastmilk, in addition to being the best, most natural and readily available infant food, provides many immunological benefits. If your pamphlet wishes to discuss weaning, breastfeeding should be at the core of it.

I applaud you for wanting to educate the public on this vitally important topic, however, accurate information is the cornerstone of informed decision-making. Additionally, with your reputation in the community, consumers look to you for sound information and base consumption patterns on your recommendations I am sure it was not your intent to deliberately mislead anyone, or to cause harm to young children. Therefore, it is my hope you will research this issue and provide more accurate and up-to-date information for consumers.