Upstreaming Alcohol Policy

Pinkwashing is a term coined by the group Breast Cancer Action and “used critically of corporate campaigns and practices in which the sponsoring companies position themselves as leaders in the struggle to eradicate breast cancer while engaging in practices that may be contributing to rising rates of the disease.”

And while Breast Cancer Action, with their Think Before You Pink campaign, have called out pharmaceutical companies, automakers, and yogurt manufacturers, perhaps no industry is as shameless at pinkwashing as the alcohol industry.

The reality is clear:  alcohol use is a risk factor for breast cancer, even at levels deemed moderate for other health risks (Mahoney, et al., 2008; Longnecker, 1999; Michels, et al., 2007).  Smith-Warner, et al. (1998) in their pooled analysis of 6 cohort studies (containing a total of 322,647 subjects), observe simply:  “Meanwhile, reduction of regular alcohol consumption in women is likely to reduce breast cancer risk” (p. 539, emphasis mine).

Nonetheless, wineries, seeking to impress their female target market, are seizing on Breast Cancer Awareness Month as a cause marketing opportunity, with Wine Spectator suggesting that people “open a bottle and support the cause.”

And distillers will not be left out.  Witness Support Her Vodka, Pinky Vodka, and others.

Even Mike’s Hard Lemonade has gotten in on the act, apparently seeking to expand its female base beyond teenage girls, while simultaneously maintaining its male-oriented ad campaign.

These pinkwashing campaigns appear to be very cynical attempts to court the growing female alcohol market (Mancinelli, et al. 2009), while neutralizing a public relations threat.

Behind the scenes, the picture is uglier.  According to epidemiologist and Obama OSHA nominee David Michaels (2008, p. 51), in the 1990s the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States hired two scientists (Dr. H. Daniel Roth and Dr. Paul Levy) to undermine studies linking alcohol consumption with breast cancer.  Roth and Levy are well-known “product defense” mercenaries, who have worked for the tobacco, coal, and beryllium industries, among others (Michaels, 2008, pp. 50-51).

The health of women would be better served if the alcohol industry engaged in less pink-pushing and more genuine corporate responsibility.

References:

Longnecker, M. P. (1999). The Framingham results on alcohol and breast cancer. American Journal of Epidemiology, 149(2), 102-104. [free full text]

Mahoney, M. C., Bevers, T., Linos, E., & Willett, W. C. (2008). Opportunities and strategies for breast cancer prevention through risk reduction. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, 58(6), 347-371. [free full text]

Mancinelli, R., Vitali, M., & Ceccanti, M. (2009). Women, alcohol and the environment: An update and perspectives in neuroscience. Functional Neurology, 24(2), 77-81.

Michaels, D. (2008).  Doubt is their product: How industry’s assault on science threatens your health. Oxford:  Oxford University Press.

Michels, K. B., Mohllajee, A. P., Roset-Bahmanyar, E., Beehler, G. P., & Moysich, K. B. (2007). Diet and breast cancer. Cancer, 109(S12), 2712-2749. [free full text]

Pawlega, J. (1992). Breast cancer and smoking, vodka drinking and dietary habits. A case-control study. Acta Oncologica, 31(4), 387-392.

Smith-Warner, S. A., Spiegelman, D., Yaun, S. S., van den Brandt, P. A., Folsom, A. R., Goldbohm, R. A., et al. (1998). Alcohol and breast cancer in women: A pooled analysis of cohort studies. JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association, 279(7), 535-540. [free full text]