The hiatus is due to the Department of Health's (DoH) continued failure to produce on-pack and promotional guidelines.
The lack of guidelines, nearly a year after launch, is hurting the ability of brands to amplify the Change4Life anti-obesity message, a key reason cited by the government for linking up with food and drink brands.
Nestle Waters' Pure Life bottled-water brand's activities include a GMTV sponsorship and a new educational website that is 'in support of' Change_4Life. However, a Nestle Waters spokeswoman said the activity is not carrying the branding as 'certain guidelines haven't been clarified'.
In April, Kellogg launched one of its biggest on-pack promotions to date, backing both Change4Life and sub-brand Breakfast4Life. It told Marketing it had gone ahead without the branding because the 'Change4Life team has not yet decided how they would like on-pack messaging used'.
However, a DoH spokeswoman insisted: 'We are working closely with the food and drink industry and trade associations to produce guidance on Change4Life on-pack promotions. This work is on schedule.'
Missed opportunity
Activity that could have carried C4L branding
- Nestle Waters' Pure Life - GMTV sponsorship, ads on MSN UK and promotion in Change4Life partner Tesco.
- Kellogg - £3m Free Cereal promotion across 30m packs.
- Mars-owned Dolmio - a six-figure campaign, 'Britain's doing it with Dolmio', to encourage families to embark on healthy lifestyles.
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