diff --git a/package/multimedia/gst-plugins-base/gst-plugins-base.mk b/package/multimedia/gst-plugins-base/gst-plugins-base.mk
index 88c68e15d9..63f23cd5cd 100644
--- a/package/multimedia/gst-plugins-base/gst-plugins-base.mk
+++ b/package/multimedia/gst-plugins-base/gst-plugins-base.mk
@@ -9,6 +9,11 @@ GST_PLUGINS_BASE_SITE = http://gstreamer.freedesktop.org/src/gst-plugins-base
 GST_PLUGINS_BASE_INSTALL_STAGING = YES
 GST_PLUGINS_BASE_LIBTOOL_PATCH = NO
 
+# freetype is only used by examples, but if it is not found
+# and the host has a freetype-config script, then the host
+# include dirs are added to the search path causing trouble
+GST_PLUGINS_BASE_CONF_ENV = FT2_CONFIG=/bin/false
+
 GST_PLUGINS_BASE_CONF_OPT = \
 		$(DISABLE_NLS) \
 		$(DISABLE_LARGEFILE) \