Ad description
A TV ad for Domino's Pizza featured a voice-over stating "Get a little taste of Texas with the new saucy barbeque stuffed crust from Domino's. Our mozzarella stuffed crust now oozing with tasty barbeque sauce. Get our bite-sized boneless ribs free when you order a large now".
Issue
One viewer challenged whether the claim "boneless ribs" was misleading because she was informed by Domino's that the product was made from pork belly, not rib meat.
Response
Domino's Pizza UK & Ireland Ltd (Domino's) explained that their supplier had confirmed that pork ribs were removed from the belly of pork along the intercostal line and that the pork belly was the intercostal muscles in-between the ribs. Therefore, the pork belly (or intercostal muscles) and the rib meat were the same cut of meat. They further explained that their product supplier had worked closely with its Environmental Health Officer when producing the product for Domino's and the local Environmental Health Officer confirmed that he did not have any issue with the name "boneless pork ribs" because he believed the name of the food was precise enough to indicate the true nature of the product. Domino's provided a copy of the correspondence from the Environmental Health Officer to the product supplier. They said that on the basis that pork belly was from the same cut of meat as the ribs, they believed that "boneless ribs" was an acceptable way to describe the product to customers. They did not therefore consider that the claim "boneless ribs" was misleading.
Clearcast said they fully endorsed Domino's comments on the complaint.
Assessment
Not upheld
The ASA understood that the meat in the product derived from belly pork, in particular the intercostal muscles connecting the ribs. We noted that the Environmental Health Officer had confirmed in writing that he considered the name of the product was an accurate description. We also understood the ribs and intercostal muscles connecting the ribs were from the same cut of meat and that the meat used in the product was the meat connecting the ribs with the bones removed. We therefore considered that the claim "boneless ribs" was not misleading.
We investigated the ad under BCAP Code rules
3.1
3.1
Advertisements must not materially mislead or be likely to do so.
and
3.2
3.2
Advertisements must not mislead consumers by omitting material information. They must not mislead by hiding material information or presenting it in an unclear, unintelligible, ambiguous or untimely manner.
Material information is information that consumers need in context to make informed decisions about whether or how to buy a product or service. Whether the omission or presentation of material information is likely to mislead consumers depends on the context, the medium and, if the medium of the advertisement is constrained by time or space, the measures that the advertiser takes to make that information available to consumers by other means.
(Misleading advertising) but did not find it in breach.
Action
No further action necessary.
