ASA Adjudication on Emerson Electric (UK) Ltd

Ad

A TV ad promoted a waste disposal unit. The voice-over stated "Take a kitchen sink, now connect it to a ... food waste disposer which sits discretely in the cupboard underneath. Then watch as your food waste is washed ... away". A woman put food waste from a chopping board into the sink then pushed it into the plug hole with her hand.

Issue

Six viewers believed the ad was harmful because it could encourage people to put their hands into waste disposal units.

BCAP TV Code

Response

Emerson Electric (UK) Ltd (Emerson Electric) said the ad demonstrated the correct and recommended use of an InSinkErator food waste disposal unit: the cold tap was turned on; the unit was switched and food waste was guided down the plughole by hand.

They said the food waste disposer did not use knives or blades and the grinding mechanism was sealed within the unit. They said they believed it was perfectly reasonable to show the recommended use of the appliance and did not believe the sequence shown in the ad would encourage people to put their hands into a disposal unit. They said the use of the unit as demonstrated presented no appreciable risk to the consumer and around one million homes in the UK used disposers daily without incident. They said that approximately three out of every four food waste disposers sold in the UK were InSinkErator units and as far as they were aware all units were intended to be used in a similar way.

Clearcast said they had approved the ad on the basis that the system was safe to use as shown with the users hand pushing the food waste into the top of the device. The grinding concentric rings were located in the bottom of the machine well out of harms way. They said they had applied an ex-kids timing restriction to the finished commercial to keep it away from very young children.

Assessment

Not upheld

The ASA noted the ad demonstrated the correct use of the disposal unit, and the grinding mechanism was in a sealed unit at the bottom of the machine. In addition, we noted the ad had been given an ex-kids restriction to keep it away from very young children. Because there was no danger in using the waste disposal unit as demonstrated in the ad, and because the ad had been given an ex-kids restriction so that it was not shown in and around childrens programmes, we concluded it did not condone behaviour prejudicial to health and safety and was therefore not in breach of the Code.

We investigated the ad under CAP (Broadcast) TV Advertising Standards Code rule 6.7 (Health and Safety) but did not find it in breach.

Action

No further action necessary.

Adjudication of the ASA Council (Broadcast)