Forget the bright reds and yellows you think of for fall. At this time of year, everybody's thinking pink, thanks to Breast Cancer Awareness Month. But are the special “pink ribbon” products you see really funding the cause?? ABC2 News Investigator Joce Sterman did some shopping to find out.
You'll find crackers and candles, contact solution and cookies. From ties for your hair to paper for your derriere, it seems you can't hit the store without seeing pink. And when it comes to those pink products, Robin Prothro with Komen Maryland says, "It does influence how people shop."
Up and down every lane, people are picking up those pink boxes and containers, thinking their profits go toward breast cancer causes. The simple color on the box can be enough for some people to purchase. But are you really buying into bogus claims of charity? We went aisle by aisle in one store, filling our cart with items that promise to give back. We wanted to make sure these companies are putting their money where their pink ribbons are. Prothro says, “People are trusting you that they're giving you the money and you're going to be using that for your cause."
And some companies make it easy to find out how much they're really contributing. General Mills, Gatorade, Pepperidge Farms and Post all list specific donation amounts on their packages. And that money goes whether you buy their brand or not. But with some others, how much they give can depend on you. Yoplait donates 10-cents per lid, up to $1,500,000. To give a fifty cent donation, Crystal Light asks you to enter a code on their website to help them reach their $150,000 minimum. Kraft says you can help them hand over $250,000 by joining “Pose For The Cure”, which asks you to buy a special breast cancer T-shirt online. Prothro says, "I think you have to be a vigilant purchaser and you have to know a little bit about your cause."
Knowing even just the basics about your charity can help you avoid companies making vague claims about how they're helping. One ice cream company we found says they are a "proud contributor to breast cancer research", but they're not proud enough to answer our questions on exactly how much money they give and to whom. Colgate Total's box features a ribbon and the words "Caring For Women In Need", but exactly how much they care isn't clear on the package. Their representative later told us Colgate donated $200,000 to several organizations that provide free mammograms, but those details were not on the toothpaste box. We also saw containers of V-8 that ask you to “Join the Fight” and to buy a bottle of the product to help the company make a donation in support of breast cancer awareness. We contacted V-8 but got no specifics on how much they planned on giving. It’s proof you can’t be colorblind when it comes to shopping for a good cause.
