The charity Diabetes UK has said its recently announced sponsorship deal with soft drinks company Britvic was subject to “rigorous scrutiny” following criticism.
Last week the charity announced that it had signed a £500,000, three-year partnership deal with Britvic, a company that manufactures drinks such as Tango and J2O.
The deal involves helping “Britvic employees to reduce their risk of type 2 diabetes and support children with type 1 diabetes and their families so that they thrive at school,” according to Diabetes UK.
Several health campaigners have slammed the news, particularly because high sugary drink consumption is a salient cause of childhood obesity and the sudden increase in type 2 diabetes among young people.
But Diabetes UK has said it stands by its decision as the money provided by Britvic will be spent on supporting children in school who have type 1 diabetes.
The charity’s chief executive Chris Askew said: “Any partnership we enter into – including with the food and drink industry – only happens if we truly believe it will bring about positive change, and we firmly believe our partnership with Britvic will do just that.
“Every Diabetes UK partnership is subject to rigorous scrutiny to ensure the partners we work with share our ambitions.”
It is not believed that the partnership includes any product endorsement or marketing for the soft drinks giant.
