Waitrose’s Christmas ad sparks cancer backlash
WAITROSE has apologised after its Christmas advert was criticised by cancer charities over a scene where two farmers compare their sun tans.
The ad features clips of real farmers working through the year in the run-up to the festive season. But shots of them flashing tan lines sparked a backlash.
One skin cancer patient wrote online: ‘This is a kick in the teeth for all melanoma patients and for all the organisations trying to educate everyone [on] the dangers of sun tans.’
Gillian Nuttall, founder of charity Melanoma UK, said: ‘Waitrose isn’t the first organisation to use tan lines or sun burn in an advertisement. Just as we wouldn’t laugh at an advertisement that glorifies smoking, nor should we do the same about tanning.’ Melanoma is one of the most serious forms of skin cancer and kills seven in the UK every day.
The advert will not be edited but a Waitrose spokesman said it was sorry for the ‘upset caused’, adding: ‘We fully support sun safety and worked with a medic on set throughout the filming. They made sure everyone wore high factor sun protection.’