A company and its director have been fined for making misleading claims about Prosecco following a prosecution by West Yorkshire Trading Standards.
The ‘Skinny’ Prosecco 1754 and ‘Skinny’ Rose Prosecco 1754 which were marketed by Prosecco 1754 Ltd first came to the attention of West Yorkshire Trading Standards in 2019, when samples were procured and sent for analysis.
The Public Analyst’s report stated that the ‘skinny’ wines were misleadingly labelled, as they were not reduced-calorie products. In 2021 further samples were tested, with the same results.
A warning letter was then issued to the company directors with a deadline by which the misleading descriptions of the products must stop. The company failed to comply, and in 2022 further samples were procured, yielding the same results.
When the company’s director, Marcus Hilton, attended an interview in 2022, he denied the company was using misleading claims and referred to the Oxford Dictionary’s definition regarding the word ‘skinny’, refusing to accept that the word amounted to a claim regarding the nutritional value of the wines. He continued to deny that the marketing was misleading, even when presented with the facts of food labelling law.
At Leeds Crown Court on 29 September, Hilton was fined £1,400 and ordered to pay costs of £2,000 for breaching the Food Safety Act 1990; Prosecco 1754 Ltd was fined £2,700 and ordered to pay costs of £2,000.
David Strover, Head of West Yorkshire Trading Standards (Business Services) said, “This business marketed and sold these wines throughout the UK via their website, with an incredibly misleading ‘Skinny’ label, during covid lockdown when online sales of food and drink were booming.
“We repeatedly advised this business to amend their labelling, but they were intransigent and failed to act on our advice.
“The products should have contained at least 30% fewer calories than the standard product to justify the claim, and they did not. I welcome today’s outcome and warn businesses that West Yorkshire Trading Standards Service will continue to investigate those businesses who persistently flout food labelling laws.”
Councillor Melanie Jones, Chair of the West Yorkshire Joint Services Committee, which oversees the work of Trading Standards, said, “Customers rely heavily on claims and descriptions applied to food and they should be able to make informed choices about the food they consume. I am pleased with the work of Trading Standards in concluding this case, and taking action to ensure consumers can have confidence in the accuracy of food labelling.”
