4 August 2016
FDF response to Children's Food Campaign comments on sports sponsorship
It has come to our attention that the Children’s Food Campaign/Sustain is to
issue a press release attacking FDF Director General Ian Wright’s recent
comments
in Campaign magazine on the role brands play in supporting sports events.
Ian – along with others – was asked a specific question about whether it
was
appropriate for Coca-Cola and McDonalds to be Olympic sponsors. He replied:
“Coca-Cola and McDonald’s are among the world’s most responsible companies.
Being involved in the Olympic family and sharing its values allows both sides
to
benefit from the special value of such relationships. You only have to look at
Johnnie Walker’s sponsorship of the McLaren Formula One team to see that it has
not
only been very successful but has also advanced the cause of responsible
drinking. You also have to remember that the source of the controversy is
invariably
Western and metropolitan. Asian and Latin American countries have no problem
with
companies that behave responsibly.”
We have, of course, received no requests for an apology from any Embassy and Ian
stands by his comments.
Ian adds:
“The recent, ground-breaking McKinsey report ranked the most effective interventions to tackle obesity worldwide –
portion
control and reformulation of foods came out top, with restrictions on sports
sponsorship nowhere on the list.
“At a time when public health budgets are shrinking, restricting sports
sponsorship from food and drink companies – whether of grass roots sport
or
international competitions – would result in less physical activity, not
more.”
More Information
Contact Ted Woodward, Corporate Affairs Division, at: [email protected], or +44 (0) 20 7420 7140.
This toolkit contains a selection of information on the UK’s future relationship
with the EU for UK food and drink manufacturers.