A rum liqueur by Sainsbury’s has fallen foul of the Portman Group for failing to adequately convey its alcoholic nature.
Sainsbury’s Tiramisu Rum Liqueur was identified as potentially being in breach of the Portman Group’s Code of Practice as part of a proactive audit undertaken by the watchdog.
The boozy tipple had “no clear alcohol labelling on the primary packaging”, the Portman Group noted. Furthermore, “if the swing tag with the product’s alcohol information was removed, it further reduced transparency regarding the product’s alcoholic nature”, it said.
The Portman Group’s independent complaints panel agreed “it was not sufficient to include the only clearly presented, positive alcohol cues on a removable swing tag that was likely to be removed after purchase or could be accidentally removed even prior to purchase”.
Mandatory information, meanwhile, was “embossed in gold lettering, on a gold-cork lid was not particularly distinguishable or visible”.
Therefore, the panel concluded the product “did not communicate its alcoholic nature with absolute clarity”.
“Ensuring all important information is clear, visible and not easily removed is vital to make sure the consumer is informed as to the alcoholic nature of a product,” said Rachel Childs, chair of the independent complaints panel. “If there is any room for confusion or ambiguity then the panel have little choice but to uphold a complaint, such as they did in this case.”
Sainsbury’s told the Portman Group it had taken proactive steps to mitigate the risk of consumer confusion while selling through the remaining stock, and that it would no longer be producing the drink in its current form.
“We want our customers to make informed decisions about the products they choose to buy with us,” said a Sainsbury’s spokesman. “That’s why we’ve worked with the Portman Group to make the alcoholic content of our Tiramisu Rum Liqueur more clear, with a neck tag on every bottle and clear shelf signage when it’s in our seasonal space.”
No comments yet