I hope it is OK that I post this. Here is my letter along with their response. -----Original Message----- From: jozfam86 [mailto:[log in to unmask]] Sent: Wednesday, May 29, 2002 10:12 AM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Propane to promote inferior infant feeding? I am a Board Certified Lactation Consultant and recently saw a commercial for Propane that seriously disappointed me. In the ad a woman's power goes out but she is still able to feed here baby a bottle of Artificial Baby Milk due to the wonders of Propane! In a society where few women breastfeed their babies for the recommended period of time (the American Academy of Pediatricians recommends that babies be fed human milk for the absolute minimum of twelve months,) promoting and endorsing inferior feeding techniques substances is reprehensible. The more women see bottle feeding in a positive light in the media the more bottle feeding as the "Standard" will be upheld. Breastfeeding is the "Standard" and we all have the obligation to upheld a standard that is most beneficial to mothers babies families and society at large. Breastfeeding reduces the risk of myriad diseases, such as diabetes, childhood leukemia, obesity, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome as well as strengthen the mother child bond and reduces the child's risk of being abused by a family member. It is irresponsible to show a woman using an inferior feeding method when we have ample evidence that positive portrayals of bottle feeding in the media REDUCE breastfeeding rates. Every baby who is not breastfed for the minimum period of time outlined by the AAP is at risk for a lifetime of less than optimum health. I have to protest this most irresponsible use of your advertising dollar. I am sure there are MUCH better ways of showcasing your product rather than promoting something that rarely benefits either mothers or their babies. My husband and I have made a point to refrain from using Propane in our grill and instead use charcoal until this matter is resolved. So have our some of our parents, siblings and several of our friends. Thank you. Sincerely, Mary Jozwiak IBCLC International Board Certified Lactation Consultant ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Here is their response, which I received within a half an hour of my e- mail,which leads me to believe it is a form response: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dear Mrs. Jozwiak: Thank you for taking the time to write to us at the Propane Education & Research Council. We've heard from many consumers who have seen our advertising messages and have offered compliments as well as helpful comments. We value your opinion and will take your concerns into consideration as we develop new messages. Propane is a trusted and reliable energy source used by millions of Americans every day -- we certainly want our communications to convey those positive attributes. Regards, Kelley Maierhoffer Propane Education & Research Council I hope they actually take the time to read our letters and e-mails. I got upset the first time I saw this commercial. Thank you Kathleen for kicking my butt into action to actually do something about it. Mary *********************************************** The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html