BCA Wednesday – Think Before You Pink
Disclaimer – I’m neither supporting nor protesting any information in today’s post, nor am I a scientist, or claim any scientific knowledge, pointing fingers at or accusing anyone of foul play. Just think of it as a little FYI, something to think about….
Everywhere you are shopping, I’m sure you have seen all the breast cancer support products, with pink labels and logos, and a quick search will pull up thousands of sites with awareness products. A word of caution, as with any good cause, there are scam artists, so only shop at online sites that you know and trust. I also discovered a term I had never heard before – pinkwashers – a company that claims to care about breast cancer by promoting a pink ribbon campaign, but manufactures products that are linked to the disease. Crazy, eh?
Breast Cancer Action, an advocacy group that focuses on “Challenging Assumptions” and “Inspiring Change”, urges you to ask some critical questions before opening your wallet for pink-ribbon campaigns:
How much money from your purchase actually goes to the cause?
What is the maximum amount that will be donated?
How much money was spent marketing the product?
How are the funds being raised?
To what breast cancer organization does the money go, and what types of programs does it support?
What is the company doing to assure that its products are not contributing to the breast cancer epidemic?
They also list a few pinkwashing examples: the biggest one, Yoplait’s fall campaign, Save Lids to Save Lives, continues to urge consumers to buy pink-lidded cups of Yoplait yogurt. For each pink lid mailed back to the company by December 31, Yoplait donates ten cents to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, up to $1.5 million. The yogurt is made from cows treated with rBGH (recombinant bovine growth hormone) [Used to boost dairy production in cows]. According to their site, there are numerous health concerns, including breast cancer, surrounding the use of rBGH. (The FDA approved rBGH in 1993, under great and continuing controversy).