Homer Simpson’s brew of choice, Duff Beer, has been pulled from Australian shelves after it was found to be in breach of the Alcohol Beverages Advertising Code.
Duff has been available in Australia at Woolworths’ Dan Murphy’s and BWS stores since May this year for around $45 a slab, but according to The Herald Sun, a ruling by the ABAC panel found that Duff was in breach of promotional guidelines that prevent alcohol from being marketed at children.
“The association of The Simpsons with the product name and packaging is so strongly entrenched in Australian popular culture that the name and packaging will draw the attention of under 18 year olds,” the ABAC panel decided.
“Measures to market the product without references to The Simpsons characters or images cannot be effective to overcome the strong and evident appeal of the product material to underage persons.”
While Woolworths say they will comply with the ruling and will pull the brew from production, the ABAC panel will allow the stores to continue selling the Duff stock they currently hold.
This is the second time Duff has been pulled from Australian shelves. In the mid 1990s, the Lion Nathan brewery produced an unofficial beer called Duff, which was also pulled from production after 20th Century Fox brought legal action against the company.
