A complaint against a Hello Kitty-branded red wine has been upheld by the Independent Complaints Panel of drinks industry watchdog, the Portman Group.
The complainant said they were “astonished” to see alcohol sold under a children’s toy brand. “How can that possibly be legal?”
Unsurprisingly, the complaint was upheld under the Panel’s rule 3.2(h) which states that a drink, its packaging and any promotional material or activity should not in any direct or indirect way have a particular appeal to under-18s.
The Italian producer – Torti Wine – disagreed that Hello Kitty was a children’s toy brand and said that it was popular with all ages particularly mothers, grandmothers and older celebrities including Kim Kardashian.
However, Torti Wine did confirm that it would no longer sell the product in the UK.
