Beingmate
Score 2024
Score
Score
Important:
The research findings regarding companies’ performance in this Index are based on information shared by companies or gathered by service providers, in addition to information that is available in the public domain.
The level of detail and comprehensiveness of information shared by companies and gathered through external service providers varied. In the case of limited or no engagement by companies, this Index may not represent the full extent of their efforts. Similarly, in the case of limited data collected by service providers, the findings of this Index may not provide a comprehensive representation of company practices.
ATNI’s research and Indexes do not assess compliance with local regulations or laws, but rather assess private sector performance against international standards and guidance.
BMS Country Studies
Score
The Country Studies component of the BMS and CF Marketing Indexes 2024 evaluates the extent to which a company’s marketing practices align with specific provisions of the WHO Code (not against local Code-related regulations). The main marketing channels assessed in the Country Studies for the BMS and CF Marketing Indexes 2024 are online points-of-sale, traditional and online media outlets, and product labels which were all assessed according to the NetCode protocol. Beingmate sells BMS products only in China, one of the five countries selected for the assessment, which represents 100% of Beingmate’s estimated global BMS sales. The Country Studies results for Beingmate are summarized below for China across each marketing channel.
Country Studies overview
| Beingmate | Country assessments | BMS market | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total incidences of non-compliance across online, traditional media, and product labels | Number of product labels assessed | Company brands found | BMS market share | Proportion of Beingmate's global BMS sales | |
| CHINA | 38 | 24 | Abeco, Beingmate, Bexiner, Crown, Jingai | 2% | 100% |
| GERMANY | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| INDONESIA | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| US | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| VIET NAM | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
(0 incidences of Code non-compliance corresponding to a country score of 100%)
(>0-10 incidences of Code non-compliance corresponding to a country score of 66%)
(>10-20 incidences of Code non-compliance corresponding to a country score of 33%)
(> 20 incidences of Code non-compliance corresponding to a country score of 0%)
• Beingmate’s sales are entirely in China, and the company possesses a relatively small share of the Chinese BMS market (less than 5%). A total of 38 incidences of non-compliance were found for Beingmate including advertisements and promotions related to BMS products found on online media (14) and 24 non-compliant product labels of various Beingmate brands.
Observed incidences of non-compliance with the Code per country
Main in-country findings
Of the 38 incidences of non-compliance in China, most were from inappropriate labels (24), or found through the social listening of online platforms (14). No incidences of non-compliance were found for traditional media. The incidences of non-compliance found online were largely concerning growing-up milks (13), whereas non-compliant labels were found across all types of BMS.
Online findings
• All of the incidences of non-compliance found online were point-of-sale promotions found on online retailer platforms. Despite ATNI’s request for Beingmate to verify any contractual relationship with the retailers monitored, confirmation could not be obtained from the company.
• All of the promotions found on online retailer platforms were for growing-up milks, except for one follow-up formula, and had between one to three instances of non-compliance per promotion found. Besides the advertisements identified, which are non-compliances with Article 5.1 of the Code, various incentives for product purchase were found such as discounts, gifts, offers, deals, and vouchers as well as an invitation to become a member for further incentives. No other online media findings were identified during the eight weeks the channels were monitored.
Traditional media findings
• No adverts on traditional media (TV, radio, or print) were found of Beingmate’s BMS products in China in the six-month period the selected products were monitored.
BMS product label
• All of the 24 Beingmate BMS products assessed contained at least one incidence of Code non-compliance, with an average of three non-compliant incidences per product label. All of the product labels with clear images were missing a statement on the importance of exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months of life and continued breastfeeding up to two years or beyond. Also, none of these labels included a statement that the product should be used only on the advice of a health worker, in a font size that is easily visible, in bold and on a contrasting background. The majority (22) were found to contain at least one type of claim (nutritional (21), health (8), promotional (1)).
Recommendations
• Given the number of incidences of non-compliant marketing practices observed in China, Beingmate is strongly encouraged to strengthen its responsible BMS marketing policies and ensure their full alignment with the recommendations of the Code and all subsequent relevant resolutions, including the guidance supported by WHA resolution 69.9. ATNI has developed a model company policy on the responsible marketing of BMS which can guide the company on how to incorporate Code provisions and align with the latest public health requirements in practice.
• Several point-of-sale promotions were found on local online retailer platforms. Beingmate is encouraged to engage with its industry associations, retailers and/or regulators to ensure that there are no promotions of BMS products in the retail environment, and see that products are appropriately marketed in line with the Code. The company should also ensure retailers refrain from the use of incentives that promote the purchase of its BMS products, such as discounts, offers, deals gifts, vouchers, and invitations to register for membership programs.
• Most of the online promotions concerned growing-up milks, which is contrary to the requirements of the Code, specifically the guidance supported by WHA resolution 69.9 that extended the scope of the Code to growing-up milks. Therefore, ATNI urges Beingmate to ensure its commitments are extended to include growing-up milks in China.
• Beingmate is strongly encouraged to cooperate fully with any future independent third-party assessments by providing clear and comprehensive product label images. Incomplete assessments can lead to inaccurate evaluations and hinder efforts to address incidences of non-compliance effectively.
• ATNI is calling on Beingmate to review all incidences of non-compliance identified across all marketing channels, which were shared in detail with the company, and to take corrective action.
BMS Corporate Profile
Score
The Corporate Profile component of the BMS and CF Marketing Indexes 2024 evaluates the extent to which a company’s policies align with various provisions of the Code, the effectiveness of its related management systems as well as the company’s level of disclosure on commitments relating to BMS marketing. Beingmate’s BMS marketing commitments were assessed across 11 topics that cover different aspects of the Code on which the company scored an average of 1,58%. This score is equivalent to the company’s initial overall Corporate Profile score before a geographic penalty (if applicable) is applied to each BMS product type. The final Corporate Profile score considers how the company’s BMS marketing commitments are applied for the different BMS product types sold by the company, and across different markets. As Beingmate sells infant formula, follow-up formula, and growing-up milks, the company’s application of BMS commitments was evaluated for each product type, as shown in the next section on ‘Geographic application of BMS commitments by product type’. The scores and findings on each topic are described in further detail in the section below on ‘BMS Commitments by Topic’.
Geographic application by Beingmate of BMS commitments by product type
The table below shows the percentage of product sales where commitments are upheld and the geographic penalty applied to each type of BMS. The penalty ranges from 0% up to 90% depending on whether a company fully upholds its BMS marketing commitments in all or none of the countries in which it operates, respectively, where national Code regulations are absent or less stringent than the company’s policies and standards.
|
Corporate Profile score before penalty |
Product type |
Percentage of Beingmate’s global sales from markets where BMS commitments are upheld |
Geographic penalty applied |
Final Corporate Profile score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.6% |
Infant formula |
0% | 90% | 0.2% |
|
Follow-up formula |
0% | 90% | ||
|
Growing-up milk |
0% | 90% |
No information was found in the public domain nor shared by the company describing how BMS marketing commitments are upheld for each product type and in which markets. Therefore, the corresponding geographic penalty for each product type (infant formula, follow-up formula, and growing-up milk) is the maximum of 90% and the final Corporate Profile score is 0.16%.
Infant formula
The corresponding geographic penalty for this product type is the maximum of 90%.
Follow-up formula
The corresponding geographic penalty for this product type is the maximum of 90%.
Growing-up milk
The corresponding geographic penalty for this product type is the maximum of 90%.
ATNI calls on Beingmate to develop and/or publish a BMS marketing policy that fully aligns with the wording of the Code, in addition to upholding the relevant national regulations in China. The policy should also cover all milks that are specifically marketed for feeding infants and young children from birth up to the age of three years, and it should be applied in all markets in which the company operates in.
Topics Overview
BMS commitments by topic
Most topics include assessments on both policy commitments and management systems, except for the topic on ‘Implementation and Monitoring’, which mostly considers management systems, and the topic ‘Overarching Commitments’, which considers policy commitments only. A separate topic assesses the level of disclosure and transparency practiced by companies on the different aspects of the Code.