Nestle denies marketing Girl Scouts candy to kids

Source：Nestle USA, Center for Science i Release Date：2012-06-20 273

Food & Beverage

Health advocates say product line violates Nestle’s pledge not to market to kids

WASHINGTON – Nestle denied that it was marketing Nestlé Crunch Girl Scout Candy Bars after a health advocacy group claimed that the company broke its pledge not to market any candy to children.

“Contrary to the assertions of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, we are not engaging in child-directed advertising or marketing for Nestlé Crunch Girl Scout Candy Bars sold at grocery stores, convenience stores and mass market retail outlets which are primarily adult-oriented venues. Nestlé Crunch Girl Scout Candy Bars were developed to appeal to an adult audience, and our advertising and marketing efforts are directed accordingly,” Nestle USA said in a statement.

CSPI in a letter on Monday to Nestle USA chairman and CEO Brad Alford urged the company to stop marketing unhealthy foods featuring the Girl Scout's name and logo and refrain from similar marketing approaches in the future.

Nestle USA’s pledge not to market any candy to children is made through its membership in the Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative, the industry’s self-regulatory body.

The limited-edition candy bars bear the familiar Girl Scouts logo and evoke three popular Girl Scout Cookie flavors.

In response, the food group said in a statement, “Nestlé’s arrangement with the Girl Scouts of the USA does not violate its commitment under the CFBAI pledge because it is not engaging in child-directed advertising for products with a Girl Scout logo. Our program does not apply to packaging at point of sale because grocery stores are primarily adult-oriented venues.”

A key difference between the Nestle Girl Scout candy bars and Girl Scout cookies is that the new candy bars have more calories, more saturated fat, and more sugars, according CSPI.

“A third of the kids in the United States are overweight or obese, yet Nestle is targeting vulnerable young girls with these obesogenic junk foods,” said CSPI nutrition policy director Margo G. Wootan. “It’s not credible for the company to claim these are marketed exclusively to adults, any more than if their labels bore Dora the Explorer instead of the GirlNike