This afternoon, Fonterra has announced a 5 million USD donation (5 year program) to the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation.

According to the press release

The new project will build maternal and infant community hubs in China’s rural and underdeveloped communities, providing them with tools and resources to support prenatal and postnatal care, and also provide information and education to pregnant women and mothers, helping to ensure healthy pregnancies and babies. This will allow families to build a strong future and give infants the brightest future.

A program that I know well, I am happy to see that Fonterra has decided to sign onto this program as well (AMCHAM donated to this program 2 years ago), and I am sure it is going for a worthy cause.

Reading this press release, I couldn’t help but wonder about the timing of such an announcement. After all, they are in the middle of a baby milk powder scandal that involves their partner.

Especially interesting to me was the quote:

“Fonterra has a 20-year history in China and is strongly committed to China. We are part of Chinese society and want to contribute to the development of the rural areas of China via our effort,” said Andrew Ferrier.

yet two lines down from that, the release says:

The project is the first charity activity launched by Fonterra in China, and is designed to provide long-term benefit to communities across the country.

I don’t know about you, but if their first charity initiative in China took 20 years, and it just so happens that this initiative was launched in the middle of a scandal.. I cannot help but feel skeptical of the real motive and intentions of this donation.  I won’t go so far as to say that we are witnessing some greenwashing, but for those of you who watched the Penny Burgess interview, you will surely gain a better appreciation of just how fine the line is that she an I discussed