Corporations That Care

Seriously Motrin? Ok, I really was ready to let it all go. They've apologized and taken the ad down. To the more important bloggers, they sent personal emails apologizing. I say important, because I am not one of them. Here is the response I got today from Motrin concerning my email about babywearing.

Ms. Kim

Dear Ms. B:

Thank you for contacting McNeil-PPC, Inc., makers of Motrin® IB ibuprofen products. It is always important to hear from our consumers, and we appreciate the time you have taken to contact us.

Thank you for expressing your concerns about the safety of sucralose, or SPLENDA® Brand Sweetener. We want you to know that we take your communication seriously.

We were sorry to hear that you have the concerns you stated. We also know that there are some sources of serious misinformation about the safety of sucralose, which may be related to your concerns. We appreciate the importance of having the necessary information to make informed, healthy choices.

We want you to know that sucralose, the sweetening ingredient in all marketed SPLENDA® Sweetener Products, has been the subject of over 100 scientific studies, and that these studies have shown that sucralose is safe for use by all segments of the population. Moreover, these studies show that no side effects would be expected by the consumption of sucralose.

This conclusion, that sucralose is safe for sweetener use, has been reached by prominent and important health and regulatory authorities who have extensively reviewed these studies. These groups include, for example, the Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA); Canada’s Health Protection Branch; Food Standards Australia-New Zealand; the European Union’s Scientific Committee on Food; and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Independent safety and health experts external to health/regulatory agencies, representing over a dozen different aspects of safety research, health and development, and environmental safety, have also reached this same conclusion. The findings and conclusions of these independent experts have also been reviewed by the health and regulatory agencies reviewing the sucralose studies.

If you have been the recipient of misinformation about the safety of sucralose, we sincerely regret this and hope we can answer any questions you may have. Sucralose has been safely consumed by millions of people since it was first introduced to the market 14 years ago.

Ms. Kim
November 21, 2008
Page 2

Because of its safety and stability, sucralose is now permitted for use in over 80 countries and is a sweetening ingredient in over 4,000 products. Unlike other non-nutritive sweeteners, sucralose is the only non-nutritive sweetener to deliver both a sugar-like taste, without a bitter aftertaste, and stability over a wide range of food processing conditions, including cooking and baking. Sucralose has made possible a far wider range of lower-calorie, lower-sugar foods that can help health-conscious individuals reduce their sugar intake and the calories that come with it.

Again, thank you for your interest in our company. Should you have any comments or questions in the future, please contact us via our website or by calling our toll-free number 1-800-962-5357. Our specialists are available Monday through Friday between 8 AM and 8 PM EST and will be happy to assist you.

The Information Center

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This would be fantastic had I contacted Motrin about this topic. But I didn't. As Jeremy said, typical corporate indifference.