NZ schoolgirls take on a Big Pharma manufacturer - and win!

[Carol]

Very interesting story. Two (then) 14 year old schoolgirls challenged GlaxoSmithKline over what is in Ribena, a popular children's drink in Commonwealth countries (that is manufactured by GSK)...and won!

Generations of Australian and New Zealand children have been raised on Ribena, because that nice lady on telly told them the blackcurrants in the purple stuff contained four times the vitamin C of oranges.

Source:
http://www.smh.com.au/news/health/ribena-to-withdraw-vitamin-c-claims/2007/03/21/1174153159423.html

High school students Anna Devathasan and Jenny Suo tested the children's drink against advertising claims that "the blackcurrants in Ribena have four times the vitamin C of oranges" in 2004. Instead, the two found the syrup-based drink contained almost no trace of vitamin C, and one commercial orange juice brand contained almost four times more than Ribena.

Source:
http://www.smh.com.au/news/business...-no-c-in-ribena/2007/03/27/1174761419393.html

 

[exile]

Brilliant!!

This shows two things:

(i) these guys lie like hell (and people who knock the Center for Science in the Public Interest should be aware that this kind of aggressive testing of puffed-up manufacturer's claims one of the things that CSPI does really well and devotes a lot of time and money to, on their own dime); and

(ii) you can catch 'em with their hands in the cookie jar, take 'em to court and make them own up. Zillions of bucks may buy you all the advertising time you want, but it doesn't give you the right to make false claims.

Good for these kids, and an inspiration for everyone... was feeling a bit down a little while ago, but now I feel great! Thanks for the post, Carol.

 

[kuntawguro]

Hmmm, and it only took the Austrailian govt 50 years to find that out.

 

[exile]

One of the things I like about stories like this is that they highlight a really important strength that young people bring to the world: their lack of the kind of defeatism that adults, knocked around a bit by life (and other people), often develop, the idea that you can't win, you can't fight City Hall, and so on. It wouldn't occur to too many people even in their 30s, let alone older, that individuals could take on these behemoths and win; we've all been disappointed too many times, in things great and small. How many times have you heard people say, shrugging, `Well, money talks' and suchlike? But for these kids, you just go ahead and do it—you take'em on. It's such a different mind set... one we desperately need a lot more of!

 

[Carol]

One of the things I like about stories like this is that they highlight a really important strength that young people bring to the world: their lack of the kind of defeatism that adults, knocked around a bit by life (and other people), often develop, the idea that you can't win, you can't fight City Hall, and so on. It wouldn't occur to too many people even in their 30s, let alone older, that individuals could take on these behemoths and win; we've all been disappointed too many times, in things great and small. How many times have you heard people say, shrugging, `Well, money talks' and suchlike? But for these kids, you just go ahead and do it—you take'em on. It's such a different mind set... one we desperately need a lot more of!

Indeed! I find it amazing that they challenged the 2nd biggest Pharma company in the world over.........vitamin C.

 

[tellner]

w00t for them and w00t for science!

Here in America they'd have been sued or prosecuted under the Food Disparagement laws that exist in about thirty States. Seriously. But they struck a small blow for truth in a world ruled by the manipulators.