Nestlé Uses Cancer to Sell a Product Linked to Cancer
In this disturbing commercial Nestlé’s Coffee Mate brand tries to use sympathy for a cancer patient to sell its artificially coffee creamer product that contains ingredients that have been linked to cancer.
The Mayo Clinic recommends that consumers avoid some of the ingredients on the nutritional panel, and the FDA is also taking measures to remove some of these ingredients from our food supply.
One of the top ingredients listed in Nestlé’s creamer product is hydrogenated oils. Another ingredient of concern is carrageenan which has been linked to cancer.
The FDA has found that trans fats like hydrogenated oils are no longer generally regarded as safe and the agency is taking measures to eliminate them from the food supply.
It is absolutely stunning that Nestlé used a cancer patient in the ad in light of the evidence below.
Info on hydrogenated oils and trans fats from the Mayo Clinic are below:
What is trans fat?
Most trans fat is formed through an industrial process that adds hydrogen to vegetable oil, which causes the oil to become solid at room temperature.
This partially hydrogenated oil is less likely to spoil, so foods made with it have a longer shelf life.
Trans fat in your food
The manufactured form of trans fat, known as partially hydrogenated oil, is found in a variety of food products. Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
Reading food labels
In the United States if a food has less than 0.5 grams of trans fat in a serving, the food label can read 0 grams trans fat (as Nestle’s creamer does). This hidden trans fat can add up quickly, especially if you eat several servings of multiple foods containing less than 0.5 grams a serving.
When you check the food label for trans fat, also check the food’s ingredient list for partially hydrogenated vegetable oil — which indicates that the food contains some trans fat, even if the amount is below 0.5 grams.
Carrageenan
According to the Cornucopia Institute, an organization which has been a major driver of removing this ingredient from milk and milk-like products:
“Since 1969, dozens of studies of food-grade carrageenan have been published in peer-reviewed academic journals. Results from these scientifc experiments point to harmful effects from food-grade carrageenan in the diet.
“Studies from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s link food-grade carrageenan to higher rates of digestive disease, including colon cancer, in laboratory animals.
“In 2001, a review published in the official journal of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences questioned the safety of food-grade carrageenan, based on an examination of the extant scientific literature.
“The unique chemical structure of carrageenan triggers an innate immune response in the body, which recognizes it as a dangerous invader. This immune response leads to inflammation. For individuals who consume carrageenan on a regular or daily basis, the inflammation will be prolonged and constant, which is a serious health concern since prolonged inflammation is a precursor to more serious disease.”
So Nestlé is pushing a product full of potentially cancer-causing ingredients, using the story of a cancer patient. I’ve never seen such an offensive approach in advertising. It’d be like using an obese child to sell soda.
Please think before you drink this product.
If you are diagnosed or battling cancer, please read all labels in order to protect your health and look to organizations like the Anti Cancer Lifestyle Program and the Anti Cancer Diet by Dr. Joel Fuhrman to learn more.