~tasha~
Age: 124
Total Posts: 47628
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Location:
United Kingdom, United Kingdom
Kelly Burke Consumer Affairs Reporter
March 28, 2007
SPURIOUS nutritional claims saw Ribena rapped over the knuckles last week
and ordered to write an essay on the importance of accuracy in advertising.
But in a New Zealand court yesterday, the pharmaceutical giant which makes
the drink was fined $NZ227,500 ($200,000) for the same offence.
GlaxoSmithKline pleaded guilty in Auckland District Court to 15
representative charges of making misleading claims about the vitamin C
content of its product, which has been on the market for more than five
decades.
The cornerstone of its marketing has always been the claim that "the
blackcurrants in Ribena contain four times the vitamin C of oranges".
The claim was made on the assumption that Ribena did indeed contain
blackcurrants. But the company has now admitted that the blackcurrant
content of the drink - of which the two main ingredients are sugar and water
- is so small and of such a processed nature that the claim had probably
misled consumers.
The New Zealand Commerce Commission which took action against
GlaxoSmithKline was more forthright in its analysis.
Paula Rebstock, the commission's chairwoman, said thousands of New
Zealanders had been duped by the company which had specifically promoted the
vitamin C-related health benefits of Ribena for children, teenagers and
pregnant women.
She described the behaviour as "a massive breach of trust with the New
Zealand public".
GlaxoSmithKline reported itself to the Australian Competition and Consumer
Commission before the Auckland decision and agreed to its suggestions that
the company correct its labelling, cease making the vitamin C claims and
publish an article in an industry magazine on the importance of accuracy in
advertising last week.
No prosecution or fine was forthcoming in Australia.
Attending yesterday's hearing in Auckland were the two New Zealand
schoolgirls, Anna Devathasan and Jenny Suo, who, as 14-year-old science
students, first alerted GlaxoSmithKline to its spurious claims three years
ago. Anna said she "felt a mixture of hugeness" but wondered why
GlaxoSmithKline wasn't fined more.
"They're a multi-billion dollar company, so it's a bit disappointing, but I
think their reputation has been damaged enough to have an effect," she said.
