The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has today (14 September) banned an advert by supermarket giant Tesco for its own brand Butchers Choice Sausages for misleading consumers.
The ad showed pigs roaming in a field and walking freely in a barn. Complainants suggested this was misleading because it suggested that the pigs were reared in an unrestricted environment with access to an outdoor pasture. In fact, the pigs used for the sausages are bred both indoors and outdoors, with movement restricted.
Nina Best, advertising lawyer at Browne Jacobson, points out that even though the supermarket giant did not make any claims as to how the pigs were reared and only had them roaming outdoors for a few seconds it was enough for the ASA to "wield its axe":
"Advertisers should remember that actions can speak louder than words as Tesco has found to its cost. Shoppers are increasingly concerned about animal welfare standards. Supermarkets are falling over themselves to be seen as ethical businesses but the last thing you want is to be accused of misleading the public. Companies must not forget to ensure that their visual claims are capable of substantiation as well as their written ones," she added.