“Pinkwashing” on Advocacy Organization’s Agenda

According to a Citizens for Health alert, certain food companies are engaging in what the advocacy organization characterizes as “pinkwashing,” that is, supporting breast cancer action and initiatives while making and selling products purportedly posing cancer risks. The alert is based on an article recently appearing in Marie Claire. Titled “The Big Business of Breast Cancer,” the article contends, “Breast cancer has made a lot of people very wealthy.” While the article focuses on charities that may spend more on overhead and salaries than for breast cancer research or support for patients, it also suggests avoiding “pink-ribbon merchandise.” Among the questions the article proposes asking before contributing to or purchasing a “pink” branded product is whether the product itself is “contributing to the breast cancer epidemic.