U.K. Officials Choke on Kids' Beer August 22, 2005
News Summary
A Japanese company wants to export "Kids' Beer," a soft drink with a frothy head that's packaged in dark brown bottles and marketed to children who "want to be a bit like an adult," the Telegraph reported Aug. 21.Kids' Beer is nonalcoholic, but the marketing and packaging of the product makes clear that this is a drink for young people who want to use alcohol. "Even kids cannot stand life unless they have a drink," says one label slogan. Another reads: "For you who cannot drink, a bubbly head that you will like and a fizzy flavor that spreads refreshment through your body -- perfect for those evenings when you want to be a bit like an adult."
"Children always copy adults," said Satoshi Tomoda, president of Tomomasu, which makes Kids' Beer. "If you have this drink at events attended by kids, it would make the occasions even more entertaining."
Tomoda said the plan is to export Kids' Beer to Great Britain and Europe, an idea that horrifies U.K. opposition children's minister Tim Loughton. "This product would be an alarming development for a nation which is already succumbing to a binge-drinking culture," he said. "If manufacturers encourage children to have a dry-run for drinking, it will only train children to experiment with real alcohol even earlier."
The Portman Group, which promotes responsible drinking, also criticized Kids' Beer. "The way this drink is promoted, showing young people absolutely desperate for a drink, risks fostering harmful attitudes. Children need better education about alcohol, but this is not the way for them to learn," a spokesperson said.
However, the British Soft Drinks Association said the product should be allowed in the U.K. as long as the marketing is more sensitive.
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