The Department of Health is reviewing Nestlé's use of its Change4Life logo online after the company came under attack by health campaigners for promoting high sugar products alongside the branding.
It admitted it should not have allowed the logo to be used without additional wording on Nestlé's Get Set Go Free site, because it could be misconstrued as endorsement. "We're working with Nestlé to review the use of the logo on the website, as an error was made by the DoH in its approval."
The move was prompted by the Children's Food Campaign, which this week accused Nestlé of "misusing" branding from the £75m anti-obesity push on the website to encourage families to eat junk food.
CFC claimed that 24 of the 27 products included in promotion, which encourages shoppers to collect product tokens to claim family activities, were high in sugar under the Food Standards Agency's nutrition labelling system.
"This is yet another example of the food industry claiming to promote healthy lifestyles while in fact encouraging families to eat more junk food," said CFC co-ordinator Christine Haigh. "No company using these practices should be associated with a government health campaign.
"This is a wake-up call for the Department of Health, which wants to see companies like this more involved in the Change4Life campaign, not less."
The logo, which has since been removed from the website, featured alongside images of a Kit Kat shaped like a tennis racket, Milkybar swimming goggles, Fruit Pastilles skis and a Shreddies rugby ball.
Nestlé said its use had been agreed and approved by the DoH but that it would "continue to work with the department and will act on any changes they advise us to make".
The DoH added that Nestlé had supported Change4Life in a number of ways over the past year, including promoting the importance of a healthy diet to their employees as well as encouraging families to be more active.
It admitted it should not have allowed the logo to be used without additional wording on Nestlé's Get Set Go Free site, because it could be misconstrued as endorsement. "We're working with Nestlé to review the use of the logo on the website, as an error was made by the DoH in its approval."
The move was prompted by the Children's Food Campaign, which this week accused Nestlé of "misusing" branding from the £75m anti-obesity push on the website to encourage families to eat junk food.
CFC claimed that 24 of the 27 products included in promotion, which encourages shoppers to collect product tokens to claim family activities, were high in sugar under the Food Standards Agency's nutrition labelling system.
"This is yet another example of the food industry claiming to promote healthy lifestyles while in fact encouraging families to eat more junk food," said CFC co-ordinator Christine Haigh. "No company using these practices should be associated with a government health campaign.
"This is a wake-up call for the Department of Health, which wants to see companies like this more involved in the Change4Life campaign, not less."
The logo, which has since been removed from the website, featured alongside images of a Kit Kat shaped like a tennis racket, Milkybar swimming goggles, Fruit Pastilles skis and a Shreddies rugby ball.
Nestlé said its use had been agreed and approved by the DoH but that it would "continue to work with the department and will act on any changes they advise us to make".
The DoH added that Nestlé had supported Change4Life in a number of ways over the past year, including promoting the importance of a healthy diet to their employees as well as encouraging families to be more active.
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