The power of pink
Every year, during October’s Breast Cancer Awareness month, there’s a flurry of pretty pink mushroom punnets on Pick n Pay’s shelves.
Why? To drive awareness of the potentially protective role mushrooms can play in the fight against breast cancer and to raise funds to purchase silicone breast prostheses for disadvantaged women who cannot afford either the cost of silicone breast prostheses nor reconstructive surgery after a mastectomy.
One of the key findings of studies researching the cancer fighting potential of mushrooms from the Beckman Institute at the City of Hope Cancer Centre in California and the University of Australia in Sydney in collaboration with Zhejiang University in China, is that women who eat an average of 10gm of mushrooms a day, seem to halve their risk of breast cancer – a brilliant reason for women to make sure that mushrooms take centre stage on their plates every day of the year.
The South African Mushroom Farmers’ Association (SAMFA) with Pick n Pay will once again launch The Power of Pink promotion in October.
R1 from each punnet of 250g whole and sliced white button mushrooms sold during October will be donated to the breast cancer support group, Reach for Recovery who will then make these available to women who cannot afford to purchase them.
Silicone breast prostheses from Reach for Recovery cost between R850 and R1 500 (substantially more in the open market) and they are made available to those in need for a fraction of the price.
So, head to your nearest Pick n Pay today, go big on the pink punnets and spread the word knowing that you’ll not only be helping those affected by this devastating disease but you’ll also be protecting yourself by adding good for you mushrooms to your daily diet.
For more information visit: www.mushroominfo.co.za or follow us on Facebook and Twitter
