Ad description
A press ad, for a food supplement, was headed "Whole food for your whole body". Underneath there was an image of a heart, half of which had been formed from Sun Chlorella tablets and the other half was formed from various vegetables and legumes. Small print at the bottom of the ad stated "Dietary supplements are a means of maintaining nutritional sufficiency in those whose diet is lacking in vitamins and minerals".
Issue
The complainant challenged whether the ad implied that the product could be used to replace vegetables in the diet.
Response
Sun Chlorella Corporation (SCC) said it had not been their intention to imply that chlorella was a replacement for other foods and nor did they believe they had done so. They pointed out that the ad stated that dietary supplements were a means of maintaining nutritional sufficiency in those whose diet was lacking in vitamins and minerals, which they did not feel suggested the product was either a replacement or a substitute for real food, but rather that the supplement could be an option for those who already had a diet that was lacking in vitamins and minerals to help them maintain nutritional sufficiency. They told us the reason they had used an image of fresh produce was to show consumers that chlorella was a natural organism rather than a synthetic multi-vitamin supplement and that it could complement a healthy diet.
Assessment
Not upheld
Whilst the ASA acknowledged the complainant's concern that the image of fresh produce alongside Sun Chlorella tablets and the reference to the product being a "whole food" implied that using the product could replace vegetables in the diet, we did not consider that the ad actively encouraged consumers to swap a healthy diet for supplementation, particularly in view of the fact that the ad explicitly stated that the product was a supplement. We therefore concluded that the ad did not breach the Code.
We investigated the ad under CAP Code (Edition 12) rule 15.8 15.8 Marketers must not state or imply that a balanced or varied diet cannot provide appropriate quantities of nutrients in general. Individuals should not be encouraged to swap a healthy diet for supplementation, and without well-established proof, no marketing communication may suggest that a widespread vitamin or mineral deficiency exists. (Food supplements and other vitamins and minerals) but did not find it in breach.
Action
No further action required.
