Jamie Oliver has been branded a 'hypocrite' over his call to ban animations promoting junk food. Photo / Getty Images
Jamie Oliver has been branded a 'hypocrite' over his call to ban animations promoting junk food. Photo / Getty Images
He's calling for a ban on cartoon characters promoting junk food, such as Frosties' mascot Tony the Tiger.
But Jamie Oliver has now been branded a hypocrite after it was revealed he has previously used cartoons to promote a recipe for muffins that contains more sugar than a child should eat in a day, the Daily Mail reported.
The health campaigner and chef, 43, filmed a recipe video three years ago for his Youtube channel Food Tube in which he "cooked" his butternut squash muffins with an animated character from the popular online children's game, Moshi Monsters.
The muffins contain a whopping 33.9g of sugar per serving, Oliver's website detailed. Children of 11 and up are advised to only eat 30g of sugar in a day.
After being contacted by FEMAIL about the video and the recipe, a spokesman said Jamie Oliver Media Group has now removed the video, saying it "should no longer be available".
On Wednesday, the UK Parliament's Health and Social Care Select Committee called for a ban on cartoon characters promoting unhealthy food for children after Oliver told the committee that animated figures should not be used to "peddle rubbish".
Jamie Oliver used a cartoon from the online game Moshi Monsters to promote his muffin recipe. Photo / Jamie Oliver
Oliver's website only detailed how much his "Moshi Monsters Butternut Squash Muffins" contribute to an adult's reference intake, despite the fact a cartoon was in a photo of the treats online.
A spokesman for Jamie Olive Media Group told FEMAIL: "This content, while a treat, should no longer be available on Food Tube. Thank you for flagging, we have taken it down."
National guidelines state that children between 4 and 6 years should only have 19g of sugar, which means the muffins contain 14.9g more of sugar than they should eat in a day.
Children between 7 and 11 should only eat 24g, and children aged 11 and up can eat 30g. The sugar content of the muffins exceeds every child's recommended daily intake.
The sugary nature of the cartoon-branded muffins was first pointed out on Twitter by Daniel Pryor, who works for the thinktank, the Adam Smith Institute.
Photo / Twitter
Photo / Twitter
Photo / Twitter
He posted a screenshot of Oliver posing with a cartoon from the video, alongside an image of the nutritional information for the muffins.
He wrote: "Everyone's favourite turkey twizzler snatchin' paternalist killjoy - Jamie Oliver - is at it again!"
He also jokingly tweeted the NGO Action On Sugar to: "Ban this sick filth that's corrupting our kids."
Another Twitter user, Ant O'Fearghail, responded: "He's grrrrreat at being hypocritical," in a play on Tony the Tiger's famous catchphrase.
On Wednesday, the Health and Social Care Select Committee called for a ban on "brand-generated characters or licensed TV and film characters", which are used to promote foods high in fat, sugar or salt on broadcast and non-broadcast media.
Oliver told the committee this month that cartoons should instead be used to promote healthy foods such as vegetables.
Such a ban would mean that characters such as Tony the Tiger and the Milky Bar Kid would have to be dropped or used to promote healthier products.
Cartoon characters from the latest summer blockbuster would no longer appear on the packaging or adverts for fast food under the ban.
The website detailed that the muffins contain more sugar than a child is advised to eat in a day. Photo / Jamie Oliver
Oliver has also recently campaigned for no junk food adverts on TV before the 9pm watershed as he claims it encouraged children to crave unhealthy foods.
It was then revealed that some children's meals at one of his restaurant chains can contain more calories, fat and sugar than similar dishes at some of the biggest fast food giants.
A children's burger served with sweet potato fries and salad at branches of Jamie's Italian contains up to 452 calories, 18g of fat and 18g of sugar.
A Burger King kids' hamburger, which can come with apple slice "fries" - contains 250 calories, 6g of sugar and 9g of fat.
