Paula Bennett MP
National Party Community Programmes spokeswoman

Tim Groser MP National Party Trade spokesman

30 April 2007

Ribena heroes to be youth parliamentarians

The two students who exposed the food giant GlaxoSmithkline's false claims about vitamin C levels in Ribena will be youth parliamentarians this year.

Schoolgirls Jenny Suo and Anna Devathasan were just 14 when their school experiment proved Ribena did not have the Vitamin C content the company claimed. That resulted in the second largest food and drug company in the world being fined more than $200,000 for 15 breaches of the Fair Trading Act.

Jenny and Anna, who are now 17, have been nominated by National MPs Paula Bennett and Tim Groser and will join 119 other youth MPs and 10 members of the Youth Press Gallery at Parliament from the 8 to 11 July.

"These young women are articulate, intelligent and thorough, and have proved they have significant skills to offer the Youth Parliament," says Paula Bennett.

"If they can achieve this type of result at 14, they will be a force to be reckoned with as they grow older."

Tim Groser says: "I salute these two young New Zealanders. In the best tradition of sceptical science, they have simply analysed the facts using established scientific techniques, and found conventional wisdom - in this case conventional wisdom in the commercial field - wanting.

"This is refreshing and will stand them in good stead in politics or any career they choose."

ENDS

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