Letter
to Australian Department of Health Therapeutic Goods
Dear
Madam/Sir,
My name is Amy
Cunningham and I am a mother of children who have suffered from eating
disorders. I'm also part of a wider community of activists addressing
issues of access to prevention, treatment, policy change.
Several months ago a
group of mothers living in Australia and beyond became aware of two Australian based
companies who do the majority of their advertising on youtube, instagram,
Twitter, facebook and website. They are easily searchable on those sites
as Nick Ritchie and Freelee The Banana Girl.
Neither of these
companies have any medical or clinical certification yet dispense medical and
nutritional advice freely. Both have dangerous triggering content on
their videos and sites. Freelee for example promotes young girls to
strive for a 'Thigh Gap' which is a dangerous pro-anorexia rhetoric. She has over
100,000 followers in total and actively recruits people into a Fruit Only diet.
This is extremely dangerous. Both groups refuse to dialogue with
consumers, often berating and harassing those who question their approaches.
What are the legal and
regulatory approaches to address these groups? They 'sell' books and products
but they are not medicines per se. They seem to have absolutely no controls and
actively target people who are vulnerable to eating disorders. This seems
to us to be egregious and dangerous marketing.
Can you please advise
us of the approach to report these groups.
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