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No milk of human kindness for Clooney
The Observer
August 3, 2008
» Go to http://www.guardian.co.uk/theobserver/2008/aug/03/4
By Oliver Marre
There is trouble looming for George Clooney in the usually welcome form of Emma Thompson. The actress is seeking to persuade Clooney to reconsider his position as the smooth face of Nespresso coffee, because of the controversy surrounding the ethics of its parent company, Nestlé.
Thompson has written in support of Baby Milk Action, the group that campaigns against the way Nestlé sells and markets various infant foods in the developing world.
It has joined forces with the International Labour Rights Forum in its approach to the Hollywood star and forwarded a letter from workers at the Nestlé Cabuyao factory in the Philippines, who are on strike over the terms of their employment.
Patti Rundall of Baby Milk Action explains that the groups have 'great respect' for Clooney's work to 'fight global poverty' and that they want to meet him to discuss how he could use his position 'to support the communities around the world that are working to hold Nestlé accountable'.
So far, the response has been a note from Clooney's personal assistant, promising to pass it on to the actor and enclosing a series of papers supplied by Nestlé.
These were originally put together for Adam Clayton from U2, whose correspondence with Clooney has hitherto remained unreported, but who has clearly also been in touch to ask him about the ethics of working for Nestlé.
They include the company's usual rebuttal to criticism, namely that it follows World Health Organisation guidelines. Prince Charles, meanwhile, had better watch out or he can expect to be hearing from Thompson too, as Nestlé holds his royal warrant. Rundall, who was appointed an OBE in 2000, tells me she intends to write to the prince to ask whether he'll consider withdrawing it.
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