Tesco and Asda are selling a drink with the slogan “sex energy” being promoted by Mike Tyson – a convicted rapist.
Black Energy has attracted criticism from the charity Rape Crisis, but it is still being stocked in the UK by two major supermarkets.
Tesco say the product, which is Poland’s bestselling energy drink, is popular with its Polish customers.
Animal
In a series of overseas adverts for Black Energy, former boxer Mike Tyson is shown surrounded by scantily-clad women.
In one advert he calls himself an “animal”, while in another a woman in underwear lies on a bed followed by Tyson saying “that’s how black works”.
Tyson was convicted of rape in 1992 and spent three years in jail.
Rape Crisis said: “It is deplorable that supermarkets think it is appropriate to revere the rapist Mike Tyson and put him in a position that implies young people should trust his judgments and buy a drink that he promotes.”
Alter
Justine Roberts, founder of the parenting website Mumsnet, said lots of the website’s users “would rather that someone who showed little remorse for his behaviour wasn’t given the opportunity to cash in on his notoriety”.
The issue had been raised with Tesco last year with an online petition that called for it to stop stocking the product.
It is reported that the company behind Black Energy have removed Mike Tyson’s image from the can in the English market, but his name is still on the packaging.
Tesco said: “We have worked hard with the supplier to alter the packaging of the product.”
Asda said it was reviewing the situation.
Poor
In 2011 Tesco faced controversy when it emerged the supermarket giant was selling a drink degradingly called “P***y Natural Energy”.
Colin Hart, Director of The Christian Institute, said the decision to stock the drink showed “very poor judgment”.