ASA Adjudication on Eatwell (U.K.) Ltd

Ad

A TV ad, for Feasters burgers, that showed a teenage boy searching through a fridge. He rejected sausages as "hard work", a pepper as "tricky" and fish as "no idea" before he chose a microwave cheese-burger as "perfect".

Issue

The viewer challenged whether the ad disparaged good dietary practice by suggesting the microwave cheese-burger was a better option than fresh vegetables.

BCAP TV Code

Response

Eatwell said they had intended to demonstrate that their product was made from 100% beef, with no hydrogenated fat, and could be prepared quickly. They said they did not intend to disparage good dietary practice. They said their target audience were mothers with children who were over 16 years old and still living at home. They provided examples of the quotes they had received in researching the eating patterns of older children and the motivation for their choices, from their mother's viewpoint. They pointed out examples of quotes, such as "constantly hungry" and "always looking for a quick snack", that supported the idea behind the ad of observing a typical young man's thought processes when he selected something to eat. They also explained that their research had shown that older children often ate sweets, chocolate or crisps instead of preparing something more substantial because of the preparation it took. They explained that, after they had received the complaint, they had carried out a review of all the development work that had been involved, because they were aware of the sensitivity of the subject, and they believed the ad was compliant.

The Broadcast Advertising Clearance Centre (BACC) said it was a common perception that teenage boys lacked life skills, such as cooking, due to their relative inexperience and youth and that this was emphasised by the mother's surprise when she exclaimed "You'll be mastering the washing machine next!" They said they had reviewed the script many times in order to ensure that the ad complied with the Code. The BACC said they were satisfied that the finished ad had only commented on the complexity of the preparation needed to eat those foods depicted and had not disparaged good dietary practice.

Assessment

Not upheld

The ASA acknowledged that care had been taken by Eatwell and the BACC to try to ensure compliance with Code rule 8.3.3, which states that "...Comparisons between products must not discourage the selection of options such as fresh fruit and vegetables which accepted dietary opinion recommends should form a greater part of the average diet". We considered that the ad was likely to be understood by viewers as a mild stereotype of a teenage boy and his relationship with food, in which ease of preparation, or lack thereof, was the key factor in determining his choice of snack. We considered that the ad was finely balanced, because the boy had commented on the sausages as "hard work" and the fish as "no idea", as well as commenting on the pepper. We concluded that the ad was unlikely to discourage children from selecting healthy food options and therefore did not disparage good dietary practice.

We investigated the ad under CAP (Broadcast) TV Advertising Standards Code rule 8.3.3 (Comparisons and good dietary practice), but did not find it in breach.

Action

No further action required.

Adjudication of the ASA Council (Broadcast)