Nestle Unveils BabyNes, A Nespresso-Style Machine For Baby Milk

VERS-CHEZ-LES-BLANC, Switzerland, May 25 (Reuters) - Nestle (NESN.VX), on Wednesday launched its BabyNes baby milk dispenser using a system similar to its highly profitable Nespresso coffee maker.

The world's biggest food group said the machine and its infant formula capsules are on sale in the Swiss market and would be rolled globally depending on their popularity.

"It's potentially a game changer in the infant formula category," said Martin Grieder, head of advanced nutrition systems at Nestle. "It's very simple, very intuitive, hygienic and of optimum safety."

Nespresso, Nestle's top-selling premium portioned coffee brand, has been one of the company's fastest-growing brands with sales in 2011 expected to be more than 3.5 billion Swiss francs ($4 billion). [ID:nLDE72A0IZ]

Cut-price copycat versions of Nespresso capsules have sprung up, prompting Nestle to take legal action against makers such as Sara Lee (SLE.N), Swiss supermarket chain Denner and Ethical Coffee Co run by ex-Nespresso head Jean-Paul Gaillard.

Product innovation is one of Nestle's strategies for managing volatile costs of raw materials such as cocoa beans, coffee and milk.

Executives launching the BabyNes at Nestle's research centre would not disclose expected profit margins on the new product.

BabyNes machines sell for 249 Swiss francs ($284) with capsules costing between 49 and 55 Swiss francs for a pack of 26, roughly double the cost of regular powdered baby milk in Switzerland.

As the leading maker of baby milk, Nestle has in the past incurred stinging criticism from breast-feeding campaigners, which have accused it of violating the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes. [ID:nLDE74B2A0]

In a statement on Wednesday, the International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN) repeated those charges and said BabyNes was "a product for the rich".

Nestle says formula provides a healthy alternative for those who cannot breast-feed or wish to supplement breast-feeding. (Additional reporting by Emma Thomasson in Zurich) ($1=.8760 Swiss Franc)

Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters. Click for Restrictions.

Comments

[SierraNevadaOnTap]

05:10 PM on 06/02/2011

shouldn't the machine be in the shape of a boob?

[MorganT]

11:21 PM on 05/30/2011

( o )( o ) > babynes

[ecurbwl]

09:23 PM on 05/27/2011

At 38, should I wein myself off breast milk and change to similac or bottled milk ???

[AmericanURNOT]

08:28 PM on 05/27/2011

Nothing like a little boobie milk in your Nespresso or on your Frosted Flakes :p

[blkbrdsr71]

07:45 PM on 05/27/2011

Start them out young and keep them on the money train forever. Do it the natural way it is better.

[Freedom Rush]

11:57 AM on 05/28/2011

but there are moms who are unable to "do it the natural way". that being said, this kinda creeped me out. i've never met a mother who was too lazy to prepare her childs bottle the old fashioned way. and i hope i never do.

[ScottSutton]

09:19 PM on 05/31/2011

There are alternatives. I had an immature liver so my mother used dried goats milk.

[RobTheBl0gger]

07:11 PM on 05/27/2011

I can't think of a single product nestle makes that's any good. It's all generic crap.

[lvdiceman]

06:43 PM on 05/27/2011

NEST LES Makes the very best Breast Milk LOL

[Freedom Rush]

12:00 PM on 05/28/2011

I'm penalizing you for unnecessary funniness. :-)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nyZ1-zwHGM

[trumbull desi]

08:50 PM on 05/31/2011

I wonder if it comes in chocolate!

[dhmill]

06:11 PM on 05/27/2011

About JOBS!! Where are they? I know the jobs are. They are in Asia! And YOU fellow tax payer are subsidizing those jobs. What do you think about that? YOU are supporting Asian jobs with you tax money!
How you ask? The explaination requires a regresstion in time. Back to 1968. At that time the United States was the most powerful industrial nation in the world. And at that time, our government mandated that any and all government work had to be done with American made tools and machines only.
Some time during the 1970's that was changed by someone and we could then use Japanese made tools to wotk on the F-14 and the F-15. Government wok includes building and repairing the highways also which are government funded.
Fast forwaed to the present. As I sit on my porch and watch the rebuilding of the highway in front of my house, all that I see are Komatchus, and other Asian machines doing the work on our highways. Paid for by the construction companies that used our tax dollars to pay for the machines.
Where are the jobs? They are in Asia supported by ou tax dollars. Without any protest, we are willingly cutting our own throats. He looks and acts anti-American to me. Otherwise our tax dollars would be buying John Deere and Catapiller.

[undrgrndgirl]

06:01 PM on 05/27/2011

breast is best!

[Debbie DzialoAlexopoulos]

03:11 PM on 05/27/2011

I have been doing this with my Keurig for the past 2 yrs.... this is nothing new.... you don't need capsules... use the formula and leave the coffee maker empty so you just brew hot water.... we make hot chocolate with it the same way.... Hello!!!! You don't need a special machine to do what any other one cup coffee maker can do!!!!

[ecohawk]

03:00 PM on 05/27/2011

Can actual human breast milk (or freeze dried versions) be far behind ? I wonder. With the millions born world wide every year, and with milk "production" far exceeding demand (many mothers "Can" nurse but choose not to ) the only thing to keep this from market would be "quality control".

It would have to be pasteurized (it is naturally homogenized) and screened for drugs and microbials , but other than that, there is really no reason that I can think of myself.

I would welcome MDs and others to weigh in on this, but THIS would be a REAl game changer. And, it could be an excellent source of income and provide beneficial nutrition in under developed countries.

[undrgrndgirl]

06:02 PM on 05/27/2011

used to be wet nurses...women who nursed other people's babies...unfortunately, in many people's eyes it would turn women into little more than livestock...

[Kellybelle22]

10:54 PM on 05/30/2011

Such a thing already exists. North America has breast milk banks in several metropolitan areas. They're often housed in hospitals so they can supply NICUs, where the very sick, preemie patients benefit most from breast milk, but they also help supply babies whose mothers are undergoing chemo or have had breast surgeries.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_milk_banking_in_North_America

La Leche League and several other pro-nursing organizations also run non-medically connected milk banks, too, for mothers who simply don't make a lot of breast milk.

Breast milk banks are a wonderful idea, but potential HIV screening of the milk remains a snag. The banks also require freezers and pasteurizers, which might present problems in third-world countries. Conceptually, though, it's a great idea. So is freeze dried milk if the beneficial contents of the milk can be preserved.

I am a lactating mother and wanted to be a donor, but I have not been lucky enough to have a generous enough supply.

[barbarahoward49]

02:44 PM on 05/27/2011

From the people who brought you an alternative to human milk for human infants. No surprise that they won't disclose the profit margin.

[Gazderpha]

02:39 PM on 05/27/2011

If you want to save money on formula, breast feed.

[360Dunk]

04:14 PM on 05/27/2011

I tried that, but found out she wasn't lactating.

[CDMelty]

11:24 AM on 05/27/2011

It's not milk. It's synthetic lab-created chemicals. Milk already has a temperature controlled dispenser. Most women own two of them.

[ecohawk]

03:06 PM on 05/27/2011

Very cute.! But stupid. The "natural version" is not readily available, is costly in milk banks, is not controlled for drugs or other harmful substances.....................and that's just a start.

Most women CAN nurse, but many choose not to for work or selfish reasons of their own. And, remember , the LeLeche League and Lactations are a relatively new phenomenon seen more frequently in the last one-two generations.

Unless husbands promote the idea or are unselfish with regards to the limitations it puts on a couple's freedom, nursing starts as a fad but "burns out" quickly in today's social world.

[emorales209]

04:20 PM on 05/27/2011

Ecohawk, can you put your idiot comments on pause and think before you type? This goes for all the other jerkasses out there who think ALL women CAN breastfeed but choose not to. I have been involved in SEVERAL instances where it wasn't feasible for the mother to breastfeed the child, even though she was able. It wasn't for selfish reasons, but for reasons due to health concerns for the child. Also, some mothers may be single and working 2 jobs (minimum) to support their child(ren); when would you propose that these women take the time to pump breastmilk? I won't deny that there may be some mothers out there who won't do it for selfish reasons, but too lump ALL mothers into that category speaks volumes of your ignorance. Oh and by the way, "underdeveloped" is one word.

[undrgrndgirl]

06:06 PM on 05/27/2011

nope, not new...wet nurses (women who nurse other women's babies) have existed for millennia...