Ethics and advertising in the modern world

Rebecca Marion

rm812416@ohio.edu





As a young child I was often told that I could always trust the government, but as an adult in a society that advertises products containing harmful chemicals I now wonder if organizations like the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the businesses that follow their lead are as infallible as I once believed them to be. The product in particular I am referring to is SugarBearHair, one of the leading supplier of gummy vitamins for healthier hair and nails.

https://weheartit.com/entry/247663328

According to BuzzFeed News, a lab test found that, “the vitamins had “relatively high” levels of lead compared with other hair supplements tested by the lab.” Lead is a naturally occurring metal that was once found in petrol, and now in SugarBearHair’s gummy vitamins.






After heavy research, I began to wonder why a business that makes vitamins would allow their products to contain a potential harmful substance. According to the FDA, lead can create potential health problems, but considers removing lead or inhibiting its presence in food products impossible.






With other governments across the developed world already taking notice of the potential risks of lead poisoning and cracking down on the amount of lead allowed in their food and makeup, I question why the United States has been so slow to act. In fact, it wasn’t until 2017 that the FDA began to take notice of these potential health concerns and formed the Toxic Elements Working Group to reevaluate when they should take action on the levels of lead found in food products.






With that said, how is it that SugarBearHair vitamins are being advertised as a delicious alternative to traditional hair and nail supplements? According to the Public Relations Society of America code of ethics (PRSA), all member should avoid deceptive practices and be honest and accurate in all communications.






If the goal of every news organization is to operate with honesty and avoid deceptive practices, then why do they show advertisements that place warning labels in small print, or avoid them all together? This is an issue I have run into several times working as an Advertising Manager for a college newspaper, and several times we have had our creditability doubted because of it.






Truth be told, It’s incredibly difficult to balance ethics with keeping a business afloat that pays its employees. Even though the process is difficult, that doesn’t mean we should neglect ethics, but rather implement stricter guidelines for advertisers that reflect journalistic ethics, and prompt our government organizations to do the same.