The Market Place of Ideas-Part 2
“Philanthropy often opens up markets for US or European-based multinationals which partners with organizations such as the Gates Foundation in order to reach new consumers. Giving more is an avenue for getting more.” Linsey McGoey, “No Such Thing As A Free Gift”
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
We know from my last post to humanmilkpatentpending (The Market Place of Ideas) that the Lancet, owned by Elsevier, has an arrangement with the Gates Foundation that gives readers free viewing of any Gates-funded papers. https://vwmcclain.blogspot.com/2023/03/the-market-place-of-ideas.html
Should we be reminded that the Gates Foundation has a “close working relationship with the pharmaceutical industry?”
“The report is critical of the close working relations between the Foundation [Gates Foundation] and major international pharmaceutical corporations…It warns that philanthropic influence is skewing health priorities towards the interests of wealthy donors (vaccines) rather than resilient health systems.” from the Independent 2016 article written by David Connett, “Gates Foundation accused of dangerously skewing aid priorities by promoting corporate globalization.”
Should we be surprised that in 2020 the Gates Foundation invested in Abbott Laboratories to make its “Panbio COVID-19 AG Rapid Test available to low-and middle-income countries?” https://sif.gatesfoundation.org/investments/abbott-laboratories/
How nice of the Gates Foundation to help the poverty-stricken Abbott Labs! In 2022 this very same company’s infant formula manufacturing plant was implicated in the death of at least 2 infants and making many infants sick from Cronobacter. The manufacturing plant was cited by the FDA for its filthy conditions. https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/23/health/abbott-baby-formula-fda-inspection-results/index.html
The Gates Foundations Strategic Investment Fund lists Abbott Labs for its Covid-19 Rapid test kits, but also many companies and programs. The list includes Bayer (also manufactures the infant formula, Novalac), Evolve Biosystems (sells Bifidobacteria as a probiotic supposedly derived from human milk), Pfizer (at one time was also involved with manufacturing infant formula), recently Gates dumped their stock due to poor covid-19 vaccine performance), and the Clinton Health Access Intiative to name just a few of the investments. https://sif.gatesfoundation.org/portfolio/
Evolve Biosystems has had a name change and is now called Infinant Health. https://www.infinanthealth.com/ The company received $40 million in series C funding from the Gates Foundation. When reading the Lancet 2023 Breastfeeding Series, I thought it interesting that they mentioned Bifidobacteria research, but did not discuss that there is a company that sells Bifidobacteria based on human milk research for use as a probiotic to consumers as well as companies like Arla and Cargill. https://sif.gatesfoundation.org/news-and-updates/press-release-evolve-biosystems-announces-40-million-series-c-financing-expand-flagship-infant-probiotic-product-evivo/
I find it fascinating that the Gates Foundation has or is invested in the Clinton Health Access Initiative. The purpose of this Initiative is to reduce the price of medicines, diagnostics, vaccines and other health products for some 125 countries of low and middle income. It is strange how they appear to be blind to the fact that people in the US might need some help with the high prices of medical products. There are millions in the US without health insurance, and many who have been bankrupted by medical bills. Some assistance might be helpful. One of the board members of this Initiative is Ann Veneman. She was or still is on the Corporate Governance Committee to Nestle. https://www.clintonhealthaccess.org/ I find myself singing it’s a small world after all…de-dum- do-da… And let’s not talk about Jeffrey Epstein’s association with Bill Clinton and Bill Gates.
Biomilq was also a Gates Foundation investment. Biomilq is making human milk in the lab for babies, a human milk infant formula. Initially the Gates Foundation through their Breakthrough Energy Ventures company invested $3.5 million. In a second round of funding the investment was $21million. https://www.greenqueen.com.hk/biomilq-series-a/
And let’s mention Prolacta Bioscience (I am not aware of funding from the Gates Foundation) that manufactures its human milk-based infant formulas for NICUs. This company has been around for about 20 years, and considered a for-profit milk bank. I call it part of the human milk industry, not a milk bank. https://www.prolacta.com/en/products/
We also have for-profit milk banks in India (NeoLacta) and its sister milk bank the UK (NeoKare). I am not aware of either company receiving funding from the Gates Foundation. In January of this year NeoKare had a recall of some of their products due to concern over the levels of lead. https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2023/01/lead-concerns-prompt-human-breast-milk-recall/
The Lancet 2023 Breastfeeding Series never mentions any of these companies and how they came into existence through human milk research, and patenting. Some of these companies have received funding from the Gates Foundation. These companies like the infant formula companies are competitors to breastfeeding survival. They are a biotechnological answer to the problem of choice in the feeding of babies. They will endeavor to out-compete the infant formula industry, and breastfeeding.
“Modern science, as we have noted earlier has a world-view that both supports and is supported by the socio-political-economic system of western capitalist patriarchy which dominates and exploits nature, women, and the poor.” Vandana Shiva
Stay tuned for more on the Lancet 2023 Breastfeeding Series.