Did you know.. “thingsworthknowing” do occasionally have to be complete?

The fact that we live in a time when focus on healthy eating is perhaps bigger than ever, is more or less stating the obvious. Marketing departments are also quick in responding to this trend: many products mention why they are so good and healthy. The stage for this health battle is the supermarket, where packages and ads are fighting for your attention.

A recent case handled by the Advertising Code Committee concerned a complaint about "thingsworthknowing" in the bread department of a supermarket. Two of these signs stated: "White bread contains the same kinds of vitamins, minerals and dietary fibers as brown and wholemeal bread." and "Bread is not fattening. Combined with healthy toppings, this meal contains little fat." The complainant objected to the first sign since even though white bread might contain the same vitamins, minerals and fibers as brown bread, it contains these in different proportions. White bread would contain less of these nutrients. The second “thingsworthknowing” was also thought to be inappropriate since it suggests that bread is not fattening. According to the complainant, fat is not the fattening component in bread, but carbohydrates definitely are.

According to Article 1 of the Advertising Code for Food Products an ad with communications about the possible contribution of the advertised food to a healthy diet, has to be correct and complete. According to the Advertising Code Committee none of the “thingsworthknowing” complied to this regulation. When not mentioning the fact that the amount of vitamins, minerals and fibers in white bread is (much) lower than in brown bread, this communication becomes incomplete. Consumers might think that white and brown bread are equivalent to one another. According to the Advertising Code Committee the second sign was not in compliance with Article 1 Advertising Code for Food Products: the communication "bread is not fattening at all" is too absolute a statement, because nothing is stated about the carbohydrates/other ingredients in bread. Advertisers should therefore pay attention. By now people have become quite familiar with the Claimsregulation which contains (stricter) rules about nutrition and health claims. But also be sure to remember the (general) rules on advertising. Maybe next time make the signs larger?

Sarah Arayess