Complaints about fluoridation advertising

The NZ Dental Association has complained to the Advertising Standards Authority about a pamphlet distributed in Waitati providing factual information about fluoridation, which the Dunedin City Council was planning to enforce on Waitati residents without consultation or consent.

FANNZ has challenged the competent jurisdiction of the ASA's complaints board (the ASCB) due to its previous refusal to identify what evidence it considers fact, as opposed to opinion, so that it can perform its functions in relation to District Health Boards.

FANNZ' rebuttal of the NZDA's claims

A one page report from the conference of the 80 so-called experts supporting fluoridation, referred to in the NZDA's complaint as support for their claims, confirms that it was just a political meeting to push for global fluoridation.

Final outcome

The ASCB published its decision on 31 October. This was a default decision, as we declined to submit a response. The complaint was partially upheld.

FANNZ has issued the following media release in response:

"Fluoride Action Network NZ (FANNZ) notes that the Advertising Standard Complaints Board (ASCB) has partially upheld a complaint by the NZ Dental Association regarding a flyer to which FANNZ contributed some material. Those parts of the complaint were upheld, as noted in the ASCB’s decision, as a default position because FANNZ had not provided a response; not because the NZDA had established a breach of the Advertising Code, which it had not. Any reader can readily verify our claims from publicly available information.

The ASCB applies a double standard on fluoridation advertising – one rule for opponents and another for District Health Boards. As NZ’s experts on fluoridation, FANNZ will continue to refuse to submit to the ASCB’s judgment so long as it allows fluoridation promoters to publish factually incorrect information with impunity when we lay complaints against them and provide proof of falsity, yet requires us to prove our statements are true – ‘guilty until proven innocent’.

FANNZ remains open to discuss a way forward with the ASCB. To date it has refused to resolve this issue, raised by the overturning (on appeal) of its position stated in its decision on our complaint against the West Coast District Health Board in 2005."

Earlier decisions

Following FANNZ' successful Greymouth campaign, the Appeal Board overturned the ASCB's ruling on use of the skull and crossbones on fluoridation advertising - it is perfectly acceptable to use this symbol.