Wednesday, February 19, 2020, 1:49 PM
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Owner Joost Duisterwinkel of the company Versapers in Drenthe is not impressed by the opinion of the Advertising Code Committee on his controversial giveaway. The company from De Groeve distributed free blenders to women who promised not to have their child vaccinated against whooping cough.
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The action led to a lot of fuss. For example, RIVM reported the action to the Healthcare and Youth Inspectorate and State Secretary Paul Blokhuis of Public Health warned of fantasy stories about vaccinations. “Every year, 170 babies with whooping cough are admitted to the hospital. That’s why we have the 22-week prick for pregnant women,” he wrote on Twitter.
The 22-week test has recently been included in the National Vaccination Program. Versapers, in collaboration with the website Miss Natural Lifestyle, offered a blender of choice worth 399 euros to the first hundred expectant mothers who would refuse the shot.
The Advertising Code Committee now judges that the promotion is contrary to the Dutch Advertising Code. According to the committee, the scientific basis is lacking and the public is terrified with unreal fear.
Silly
“That judgment does not mean anything to me, because it is not legally binding. It is nonsense,” says Duisterwinkel, who says that the campaign has since been stopped. “The blenders have been sent.”
He does not rule out that he will hold another similar campaign in the future. “But I don’t have any concrete plans yet. And maybe I’ll take a different subject. Sugar, for example, or the VAT on fruit and vegetables.”
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