The supermarket giant has removed a card from its online sales that prompted an angry response from Lochlan’s Legacy, which campaigns to raise awareness of Type 1 Diabetes.
The charity said the card “made light of a serious lifelong condition that affects millions” with the message: “Remember it just isn’t Christmas unless you push your body to the brink of alcoholism and diabetes.”
Tesco card (Image: Tesco)
Lesley Murdoch, charity manager of Lochlan’s Legacy, said ‘disgusted’ was ‘an understatement’ given that Tesco is partnered with Diabetes UK. She wrote a letter of complaint to the firm.
“Making light of any form of diabetes—a serious, life-changing condition that affects millions of people—is not appropriate or humorous,” said Ms Murdoch who has a child with the lifelong condition.
She wrote: “I’m certain Tesco would not consider it acceptable to joke about any other medical condition, so why is diabetes treated differently?
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“This kind of messaging reinforces harmful stereotypes and undermines the daily challenges faced by those living with diabetes and their families.”
The charity urged the supermarket giant to “review its marketplace approval processes to prevent similar issues in future.”
Tesco has now withdrawn the card, which it said was being sold by a third-party seller on its online marketplace.
The company said the card fell short of strict guidelines and is now urgently investigating the listing with the seller to prevent this happening again.
A spokesperson for Diabetes UK said: “Diabetes is not a joke. Comments like the one on these Christmas cards fuel the blame and judgement people with diabetes face on a daily basis – and underline why we are working so hard to combat the harm stigma causes.
“We contacted Tesco after being made aware of the cards last week and they informed us they had already taken swift action to remove them from Tesco Marketplace, where they had been on sale from a third-party supplier.
“We’re committed to striking out diabetes stigma wherever we see it and will continue to challenge the myths and misinformation that fuel it.”
Nicola Merrin, Acting Deputy Chief Executive of Alcohol Focus Scotland, said Tesco had made the right call.
She said: “It’s good to see that Tesco has withdrawn this card and we would encourage other retailers to consider whether there aren’t plenty of options for humorous cards that don’t trivialise major health or social problems.”
