Author Sean Taylor won the 2007 Nestlé Children’s Book Prize for When A Monster is Born.Taylor accepted the award but refused to accept the £2,500 cash prize due to “questions surrounding Nestlé’s marketing of breast-milk substitutes.”
Taylor consulted with campaign group Baby Milk Action(who urge you to boycott Nestle who they say are “responsible for more violations of the World Health Assembly marketing requirements for baby foods than any other company,” Nestlé and “an authoritative third party with experience in the field,” before making his decision to turn down the prize money.
Taylor goes on to say that while “many of Nestlé’s controversial activities took place in the past and the company has taken steps to improve its practice,” there is still the risk that “profit is put before infant health . . . For these reasons I do not feel that Nestlé are the most appropriate sponsors for this major children’s book prize.”
Good for you Sean Taylor and let’s hope Booktrust does the right thing and finds a more appropriate sponsor for the award.
Article at The Book Standard