NFL Pink Products Aren’t Fighting Cancer As Much As You Think

It's breast cancer awareness month, but before you put on that pink hat or buy a pink can of soup you should know that you may not be helping to fight cancer at all. The Washington Post reports that many products mislead consumers into thinking that they are donating to a cause when very little money, if any, from your purchase go to charity.

There is no oversight or regulation that tells business if they can or cannot slap a ribbon on a label or create a pink product for charity awareness. This means anyone can jump on the pink bandwagon without ever giving a dime to breast cancer research. Other companies make a one time donation and then advertise that with special products. For example, buying a pink can of Campbell Soup doesn't add one cent to the amount of money already donated by the company.

Here are some tips for consumers who want to support the fight against breast cancer and make sure their money goes where its supposed to.

Check the fine print
The Post suggests that consumers read the packaging carefully for confirmation that the proceeds from a purchase go towards a legitimate charity. If a real donation is tied into your purchase, it will be clearly stated on the packaging. A pink ribbon does not mean that you are donating. Some products are created only to "raise awareness" and give absolutely no money to charity.

Check for percentage donated
You may think that by purchasing a special pink version of an item means that your purchase has been donated to charity. That's far from true. Usually, only a small percentage of that money is earmarked for research. For example, with all of the millions of special pink NFL items on display every weekend and for sale online and at the stadium, only 12.5% of the money goes to The American Cancer Society. Beyond that, only 59.4% of money donated to The American Cancer Society actually goes to help fight cancer. So for example: Someone who purchases a $34 shirt from the NFL is only actually donating $4.25 to charity. And out of that $4.25 only about $2.50 is actually being used to fight cancer.

Check donation caps
Many companies will donate to breast cancer "up to" a certain amount. Check the fine print to see what that number is. And because these products are not regulated, a company does not have to inform consumers when they've already maxed out on charitable donations. They can also continue to sell pink products long after their donation cap has been met.

All of this doesn't mean that you shouldn't purchase pink products or help raise awareness of breast cancer. It does mean that consumers should be informed and read the fine print before making a purchase so they know exactly how much of their money is going to the cause.

Source: Washington Post