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Hello Kitty wine packaging banned from UK
An Italian producer has been banned from selling its Hello Kitty-themed wine in the UK in its current packaging after a complaint was upheld by The Portman Group.
The alcohol industry’s Independent Complaints Panel (ICP) has banned Hello Kitty Pinot Noir from being sold in the UK market after finding the packaging of the wine to have “particular appeal to under-18s”.
Produced by Italian company Torti Wine, based in Lombardy, the wine’s front label depicts the popular Japanese cartoon character sporting her trademark large red bow.
During the hearing, Torti Wine argued that Hello Kitty appeals to all ages, including mothers and grandmothers, and disagreed that it was a children’s brand.
“Hello Kitty wines are for adult consumption and sold only in places that own an alcohol license,” said Torti Wine. “This is to protect and correctly sell the Hello Kitty wines in places where minors don’t have access.”
Although the panel noted that there was a degree of nostalgia attached to the brand which made it popular with some adult consumers, it also highlighted that Hello Kitty’s marketing in the UK includes a children’s TV show and video game, suitable for kids aged three and above, indicating that the brand is predominantly marketed towards children.
Created by Yuko Shimizu in the 1970s, Hello Kitty is now owned by the Sanrio Company and as of 2022 is estimated to have generated US$84.5 billion in sales, making it one of the highest-grossing media franchises in the world.
The original complaint against Torti’s Hello Kitty Pinot Noir was made by a consumer who was “astonished to see alcohol sold under a children’s toy brand” and asked: “How can that possibly be legal?”.
Following the assessment, the ICP upheld the complaint under Code 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.
“In this case, it was clear from the producer’s response that it hadn’t intended to market the Hello Kitty wine to children and as an overseas producer they were unaware of the self-regulatory system we have in place in the UK to enforce responsible marketing and protect consumers, particularly those under-18,” said Rachel Childs, chair of the ICP.
It’s a timely reminder, she added, that the Portman Group’s Code of Practice “applies to all alcohol marketed in the UK, and not just that of UK producers.”
Concluding, Childs stressed: “A children’s cartoon-themed wine is wholly unacceptable.”
Torti Wine, which specialises in red wines from Oltrepò Pavese, and also makes sparkling expressions, confirmed it will no longer sell the Hello Kitty product in its current packaging in the UK.
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