BabyNes is a beverage machine by

Nestlé Nestlé S.A. (; ; ) is a Swiss multinational food and drink processing conglomerate corporation headquartered in Vevey, Vaud, Switzerland. It is the largest publicly held food company in the world, measured by revenue and other metrics, since ...

that makes

infant formula Infant formula, baby formula, or simply formula (American English); or baby milk, infant milk or first milk (British English), is a manufactured food designed and marketed for feeding to babies and infants under 12 months of age, usually prepar ...

from single-use capsules, similar to Nestlé's

Nespresso Nestlé Nespresso S.A., trading as Nespresso, is an operating unit of the Nestlé Group, based in Lausanne, Switzerland. Nespresso machines brew espresso and coffee from coffee capsules (or ''pods'' in machines for home or professional use) ...

. The product was designed to recreate Nespresso's success with coffee in the baby formula industry. It was first introduced in Switzerland on May 25, 2011. ''The Wall Street Journal'' referred to Nespresso as Nestlé's fastest growing brand in 2011 after its sales rose by 20% in 2010 and it brought a number of legal actions against competitors. Nestlé reported strong sales for the product in late 2011.

Product

BabyNes uses a proprietary single-use capsule of milk powder with water to create a single serving of infant formula. Nestlé has called the technology "state-of-the-art" and emphasized its hygiene, speed, and ease. The company said that the machine prepares the formula "at precisely the right dosage and temperature, at the push of a button, in less than one minute". The capsules come in two sizes and six formulations based on the baby's age and weight. The machine comes with a chip to confirm the capsules' authenticity. The system was noted for its high price, with capsules whose cost is four times the cost of Nespresso capsules. BabyNes sales by August 2011 had "exceeded expectations". In June 2011, Nestlé announced plans to begin marketing the product outside Switzerland by 2012. Nestlé also announced considerations to allow for machine rentals.

Criticism

BabyNes has drawn criticism from the

International Baby Food Action Network The International Baby Food Action Network, IBFAN, consists of public interest groups working around the world to reduce infant and young child morbidity and mortality. IBFAN aims to improve the health and well-being of babies and young children, t ...

, who accused Nestlé of violating the

International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes The International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes (also known as the WHO Code) is an international health policy framework for breastfeeding promotion adopted by the World Health Assembly (WHA) of the World Health Organization (WHO) i ...

, and described the machine as a product for the rich. BabyNes's director responded that they follow the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of ...

's policy and do not market the product to mothers with children younger than six months. They also announced a 24-hour customer service hotline and a customer website. Baby Milk Action, an organization that campaigns against breastmilk substitutes, requested that Nestlé add details to the product's labeling and questioned how it was possible for the solution to properly mix and cool in under a minute. ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...

'' referred to the BabyNes concept as ridiculous and criticized its marketing language, referring to the product as "environmental madness" and "a product of greed". Amy Corbett Storch of Mamapop criticized the device for its high price, the high price of its formula capsules, and the lack of perceived benefits of the device over regular powdered formula and prepared formula.

References

{{Nestlé 2011 establishments in Switzerland Infant feeding Nestlé