October is breast cancer awareness month. It is a time when the NFL and thousands of other companies display a pink ribbon supporting breast cancer research. The problem is many of these companies also use cancer-causing chemicals in their products, like Clinique, Jersey Mike’s, Autonation, EsteLauder, and more. At the very minimum, companies supporting breast cancer research should be required to have products that don’t cause breast cancer or at least be required to present a disclaimer.
The motivation these companies have for supporting breast cancer research is to give consumers a false sense of security about using their products. This is called pink washing. For example, the highly processed meats in Jersey Mike’s sandwiches are linked to people developing cancer, but for $7, you can get the “Pink Combo” with a sandwich, drink, and soda (which also causes cancer). When you buy this combo, you are contributing to breast cancer research and, at the same time, increasing your chances of getting breast cancer!
This kind of deception isn’t limited to breast cancer research. It happens with green products as well.
One example of greenwashing is a burger joint called Shake Shack. If you read their website, they will tell you that the meat they use is humanely raised, they use solar panels in some of their restaurants, they use nontoxic cleaners, and they have taken other green measures. They want to present the picture of an environmentally responsible company. However, the production of meat is the largest contributor of greenhouse gases. The disinfectants used in slaughterhouses are cancer-causing to humans. The chemicals that they use get stuck in our environment and destroy ecosystems. Only five percent or less of their meat is humanely raised. They also use unlimited groundwater in drought-stricken areas like Eastern Oregon. Even worse, it takes thousands of acres of grain and soy production to feed the animals, which is food that could be used to tackle hunger and improve nutrition in our country.
Selling burgers is a very environmentally destructive practice. But because they want their consumers to believe that they are not contributing to this problem, they green wash it.
There are thousands of other examples of companies using pink and green washing, like Volkswagon, Coca-Cola, HandM, and McDonald’s. We highly encourage you to be suspicious of any business’s environmental or humanitarian claims.
The worst stores are the Whole Foods stores and other high-end grocery stores. Their business model is convincing consumers that the food there is better for the environment and the animals than it really is. They sell this green washing with labels like “organic,” “grass fed,” “free range,” and more. These labels aren’t regulated and don’t mean much. The food there is about the same as any other grocery store, and the animals aren’t any better off. They use these green washing labels to justify the higher prices. The consumer leaves believing they did something good for the world when, in fact, they didn’t help at all.
The best food comes from local sources. It travels the least distance and supports your local community. The best foods are whole foods and non-processed, meaning they don’t come in packages and aren’t broken down before you eat them.
The healthiest people have pantries full of beans, peas, lentils, black rice, seeds, and nuts and refrigerators full of fresh greens, berries, and various vegetables. If you’re not sure how to cook all of that, just do a Google or YouTube search. There are so many great recipes out there that you will cook up a storm and love the food!
Also, remember to drink alkaline ionized water. It’s the only water that has antioxidants, which are essential to detoxifying your body. It’s not good to drink stagnant or dead water. It will hydrate you, but it won’t detoxify your body!
Green and pink washing continues to be a massive problem in our society. It covers up unhealthy and destructive business practices and costs you more money. But if you stay focused on the healthiest habits, like local food and ionized water, you can avoid these scams and be truly healthy!
