An award-winning ale developed by ex-Formula One star Jody Scheckter five years ago has been deemed to breach the Portman Group’s rules regarding the protection of children.

The label of Scheckter’s organic lager and beer feature the same cartoon portrait as all the food and drink products in the Laverstoke Park range, after being drawn by his then four-year-old son 10 years ago.

But under rule 3.2h of its Code of Conduct, the Portman Group upheld a complaint, by a single customer, because although the image “would be unlikely to appeal to older children… it would be likely to have a particular appeal to younger children.”

The Portman Group’s ruling is expected to be announced on 29 October, but Scheckter has promised to fight it.

The Laverstoke boss, who had sold 170,000 bottles of the beer without complaint, accused the group of political correctness gone mad.

“No one in their right mind believes four-year-olds will drink beer because of our label,” he told The Grocer.

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