Supermarkets drop Johnny Danger's beer

Tuesday, 26 September 2017

Dangers Lager has been pulled from supermarket shelves.

Foodstuffs has pulled social media star Johnny 'Danger' Bennett's beer from its supermarket shelves, after online criticism.

The Whangaparaoa, Auckland man calls himself an 'amateur stuntman' and has a quarter of a million followers on Facebook.

Shoppers queued for the first taste of Danger Lager.

In 2015 he lost his drivers licence and was fined $1000 after filming himself crossing Auckland's Harbour Bridge spreadeagled on the roof of a taxi.

It was revealed this month that he would get his own MTV series, which would include the development of the beer brand as well as 'a comedic take' on his 'crazy life'.

Robert Sarich was not pleased when he saw lines of people buying large amounts of the social media star's beer.

* Car surfer Johnny 'Danger' Bennett loses license**

Bennett said on Tuesday the response to his beer since it launched a week earlier was 'record-breaking'.

'It's not flavoured water like your lower end cheaper beers and it's not too hoppy like some of the craft beers out there, it's just right.'

But Auckland community worker Robert Sarich took to Facebook to complain - saying he was worried about the number of parents and children who were at Pak'n Save in Manukau when it opened, to be the first to purchase the beer.

'I'm not opposed to people buying beer, what I'm opposed to is people buying beer with their kids in their trolley, stacked to the f…ing max with beer,' he said.

Sarich said his complaint was not about Bennett, but that people needed to get their priorities right. 'I want him to think about the social responsibility he has.'

Foodstuffs spokeswoman Antoinette Laird said a decision was made to remove the beer from the shelves.

'Foodstuffs became aware last week that a store was selling a new brand of beer promoted by a social media figure,' she said.

'It is apparent that the people involved did not appreciate the nature or extent of this individual's social media content.

Foodstuffs does not condone the behaviour consistently exhibited by this individual through social media channels, and withdrew the product from sale.'

Countdown stores had not stocked the beer.