'Don't worry,' they coo, 'everything's going to be fine. Just give us some money and we'll boost your child's immune system.'Or, to take it to its logical conclusion: 'If you don't buy this, your child will almost definitely die of swine flu, you scumbag.'
We know adverts can be misleading. As a bumbling youngster I learnt the hard way that wearing several gallons of Lynx deodourant will not, it turns out, lead to sex with a bevy of untamed beauties on a Pacific island. Shaving with Gillette razors did not make me a hero, and my last Rolo meant fuck all, no matter who I gave it to.
Adverts twist, lie and exaggerate. It's the nature of things. This one says it will make Luca healthier. Surely they wouldn't lie about that? But Cow & Gate's claim is unsubstantiated. Their poxy follow-on milk does not support the immune system. Despite a frantic effort to prove otherwise to the Advertising Standards Authority, they were forced to pull this ad.
This is a depressingly familiar story. Nestlé still agressively markets it's formula milk around the world, despite its campaign directly contravening World Health Organization guidelines and provoking a 30-year boycott of the company. They stand accused of not only failing to help babies, but actually damaging their health on a global scale by undermining breastfeeding.
Nestlé, Cow & Gate, if you are reading this: Stop. Being. Evil. That is all.
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not sure if you got my comment but what I said, possibly again, is that honey nut cheerios claims to have a direct tie to lowering your cholestorol. the govt has told them to stop. I eat the stuff everyday, the box is the exact same it doesn't bother me b/c I eat it b/c I like it not to improve my health
ReplyDeleteCheerios rule, cholesterol-lowering or not. Having said that, I've be conducting some tests with beer, wine and gambling, and I'm positive that they all make me smarter. So anything's possible
ReplyDeleteSo many people try to discount the benefits of breatfeeding. It's insane. Mother's milk is the best milk.
ReplyDeleteHugs and Mocha,
Stesha
Will hold back from embarkiing on full-scale rant, but it is exactly this kind of advertising which should be banned, full-stop. Undermining women's confidence in their ability to nurture their child is criminal, and has been going on for too long now. Grrrrr....
ReplyDeleteI heard living with two dogs and two cats is the best way to boost babies ammune system, I never clean the floor that Wylder licks daily and he has never been sick...well he had salmonella once but the doc said it isn't carried by pets.
ReplyDelete