Thoughts - Pre-emptive (Heart) Attack

You know, I used to get bemused by the Heart Foundations flood advertising it started a couple of years ago claiming that "their tick was not for sale". It all seemed rather pointless with so few products (particularly mainstream ones) using the tick.

Then it suddenly became obvious ... when McDonald's and McCain's Pizza all started announcing their "heart foundation tick of approvals".

Was this a pre-emptive campaign to garner credibility for a label ahead of selling out to the highest bidder?