Flora ProActiv ad banned as claim that 'no other food lowers cholesterol more' cannot be substantiated
Unilver brand FloraProactiv’s recent ad campaign has been banned and cannot be broadcast again after the ASA ruled that its central claim that "no other food lowers cholesterol more" cannot be substantiated.
The ASA upheld complaints that the claims cannot be substantiated
The claim was made in two TV ads which showcased “Real People. Real Results”, and claimed to show two women whose cholesterol levels were lowered by the implied use of Flora ProActiv.
The ASA ruled that only health claims listed as authorised on the EU Register were permitted in marketing communications.
“We noted that marketers could exercise some flexibility in rewording authorised claims, but only in order to aid consumer understanding and the meaning of the permitted claim could not be altered,” the ASA said.
“The sentence "High cholesterol is a risk factor in the development of coronary heart disease" had not been included in either ad. We considered that this change of wording did not aid consumer understanding, but significantly altered the meaning of the authorised claim. We therefore considered that the omission of this sentence was in breach of the Code.”
The ASA also explained that the statement: “no other food lowers cholesterol more" was a specific health claim and could only be made if it was listed as authorised on the EU Register.
“We noted the scientific evidence submitted by Unilever, but because the claim "no other food lowers cholesterol more" was not listed as authorised on the EU Register we considered that the inclusion of that statement was in breach of the Code.”
It has ruled that the ad must not be broadcast again.