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Cadbury under fire after signing three-year sponsorship deal with English Premier League

cadburyCadbury has been unveiled as a sponsor of the English Premier League and immediately ran into criticism for attempting to associate chocolate with healthy living.

The company, which was also a key sponsor of the 2012 Olympics, has signed a three deal with football authorities that will start from the beginning of the 2017/18 season.

The Premier League – hugely popular across Asia – said it will work with Cadbury to promote healthy living.

The partnership will build on Cadbury’s ‘moments of joy’ branding, with the company insisting it will “help educate people” on nutrition, healthy eating and exercise.

Premier League managing director Richard Masters said: “Cadbury’s popularity across the world, and our shared focus on delivering moments of joy, make this a great fit for the Premier League and we are thrilled they have chosen to work with us in what is their first ever partnership in football.

“We are really looking forward to working with Cadbury to celebrate the excitement of the competition, and on the plans we have to jointly grow and enhance their Health for Life project as part of the Premier League’s wide-ranging community work.”

But the move came under fire from health campaigners who said chocolate should not be associated with healthy lifestyles.

The UK’s National Obesity Forum told the BBC it was “little more than a marketing ploy”.

Spokesman Tam Fry said: “If the sponsorship meant that a host of kids would be encouraged to exercise and kick footballs to kingdom come, but didn’t come near a bar of chocolate, the forum might regard it as money well spent.

“But since the Premier League is rich enough to do this on its own anyway, and Cadbury could be looking at a downturn in the confectionery market, we regard this as little more than a marketing ploy.”

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