"At HEART UK we're passionate about preventing premature deaths caused by high cholesterol.
We're committed to raising awareness about the risks of high cholesterol, lobbying for better detection of those at risk & supporting health professional training. It's also why we work with a variety of partners to promote healthier lifestyle options."
When I read that, I got a nice warm feeling thinking what a great charity, and how lucky we are to have these wonderful people looking after us. Then I spotted the "we work with a variety of partners to promote healthier lifestyle" statement. Most regular readers know I have one keen sense of smell, and I was smelling four pound of condemned veal. So, who are these "partners" oh dear, all the usual suspects. The same sort of mobs that are called acknowledgements at DUK.
During 2011 and 2012 we have worked with the following commercial partners:
Abbott Healthcare Alpro UK AstraZeneca BHR Pharma Cambridge Weight Plan Cereal Partners UK (Sh Wheat) Food & Drink Federation Fresenius Medical Care (UK) Limited Genzyme Therapeutics Hovis Kellogg’s (Optivita) Kowa Pharmaceutical Europe Co Limited L.IN.C Medical Systems Limited Merck Sharpe & Dhome PlanMyFood Pfizer Premier Foods Progenika Biopharma s.a. Roche Products Limited Unilever (Flora) Welch’s (Purple Grape Juice)
It gets worse, “Development of this website was made possible in part through a grant from Pfizer Ltd.” Call me a cynical SOB but have I got a keen sense of smell or what.
Eddie
PS Thank you to my good friend the right honourable lady called phoenix at diabetes.co.uk for bringing this outfit to my attention.
PS Thank you to my good friend the right honourable lady called phoenix at diabetes.co.uk for bringing this outfit to my attention.
3 comments:
i've become horribly cynical about "charities" anymore! either they're just fund-raising scams to keep overpaid executive figureheads in six-digit incomes, or agenda-promoting wingnuts. :-P i feel almost guilty when i walk past the bellringers at christmas-time without stopping, but ... they asked for it!
Heart UK's healthy diet will certainly keep their partners happy:
"Avoid saturated fats found in butter, ghee, lard, full fat
dairy foods, meat and meat products. Replace these with
fats high in monounsaturated fatty acids found in olive oil
and rapeseed oil or fats high in polyunsaturates found in
sunflower oil, corn oil and soya oil.
Make starchy foods like cereals, pasta, rice, chapattis,
potatoes, noodles and bread the basis of most meals. Try to include wholemeal or whole grain varieties wherever possible. These are richer in fibre, B vitamins, vitamin E,
trace minerals and other valuable plant chemicals than their
refined equivalents. We recommend eating three portions every day."
http://heartuk.org.uk/files/uploads/documents/huk_fs_d02_forgoodcholesterollevels.pdf
Graham
Hi Tess
I can see where you are coming from but some charities, genuine charities do great good. The trouble is there are too many charities that bleed the pot dry. Then there are bogus outfits going under the name of a charity that are 100% shills for big pharma and the junk food mobs. They are nothing more than propaganda outfits. Don’t start me off on Hope Warshaw !
Thanks for taking the time to comment here.
All the best.
Eddie
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