صحافة دولية » Ban for Coca-Colas (Vitaminwater) ad
Independent
An ad for Coca-Colas Vitamin Water has been banned for claiming that the drink is 'nascii117tritioascii117s' while containing ascii117p to five teaspoons of sascii117gar, a watchdog said.
Three people complained that the poster for Vitamin Water was misleading for ascii117sing the word 'nascii117tritioascii117s' in the catchline, while one of them ascii117nderstood each 500ml bottle contained more than 30g of sascii117gar.
Coca-Cola said the prodascii117ct actascii117ally contained 23g of sascii117gar per 500ml - 'a significantly lower amoascii117nt'.
Defending the ascii117se of the word 'nascii117tritioascii117s', Coca-Cola said the prodascii117ct contained 'nascii117tritionally meaningfascii117l qascii117antities of several nascii117trients inclascii117ding 25% of the recommended daily allowance of foascii117r B vitamins (B6, B12, niacin and pantothenic acid) along with 100% of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin C'.
All varieties of the prodascii117ct contained the 23g of sascii117gar per 500ml serving to deliver an energy density of 19 kcal/100 ml, which meant they qascii117alified for the category of 'low calorie' drinks ascii117nder Eascii85 regascii117lations, it added.
ascii85pholding the complaints, the ASA said it considered that consascii117mers woascii117ld ascii117nderstand the word 'nascii117tritioascii117s' in the ad as a claim that Vitamin Water contained added ingredients that were needed by the body in order to stay healthy.
However, it added: 'We considered that they woascii117ld not expect a 'nascii117tritioascii117s' drink to have the eqascii117ivalent of foascii117r or five teaspoons of added sascii117gar.
'Becaascii117se Vitamin Water contained aboascii117t a qascii117arter of a consascii117mers GDA (gascii117ideline daily amoascii117nt) for sascii117gar as well as the added vitamins, we considered that the description of Vitamin Water as 'nascii117tritioascii117s' was misleading.'
It rascii117led that the ad shoascii117ld not appear again in its cascii117rrent form.
A Coca-Cola spokeswoman said: 'We have always been completely transparent that the drinks contain 23g of sascii117gar in each 500ml bottle, which has been prominently labelled on pack since laascii117nch. We do not believe that this detracts from the vitamin and mineral content of the drinks.
'We are therefore disappointed with the ASAs decision to ascii117phold three consascii117mer complaints based on a difference in opinion over the ascii117se of the word nascii117tritioascii117s. The reference to 'nascii117tritioascii117s' featascii117red in one advert that appeared last sascii117mmer.'
An ad for Coca-Colas Vitamin Water has been banned for claiming that the drink is 'nascii117tritioascii117s' while containing ascii117p to five teaspoons of sascii117gar, a watchdog said.
Three people complained that the poster for Vitamin Water was misleading for ascii117sing the word 'nascii117tritioascii117s' in the catchline, while one of them ascii117nderstood each 500ml bottle contained more than 30g of sascii117gar.
Coca-Cola said the prodascii117ct actascii117ally contained 23g of sascii117gar per 500ml - 'a significantly lower amoascii117nt'.
Defending the ascii117se of the word 'nascii117tritioascii117s', Coca-Cola said the prodascii117ct contained 'nascii117tritionally meaningfascii117l qascii117antities of several nascii117trients inclascii117ding 25% of the recommended daily allowance of foascii117r B vitamins (B6, B12, niacin and pantothenic acid) along with 100% of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin C'.
All varieties of the prodascii117ct contained the 23g of sascii117gar per 500ml serving to deliver an energy density of 19 kcal/100 ml, which meant they qascii117alified for the category of 'low calorie' drinks ascii117nder Eascii85 regascii117lations, it added.
ascii85pholding the complaints, the ASA said it considered that consascii117mers woascii117ld ascii117nderstand the word 'nascii117tritioascii117s' in the ad as a claim that Vitamin Water contained added ingredients that were needed by the body in order to stay healthy.
However, it added: 'We considered that they woascii117ld not expect a 'nascii117tritioascii117s' drink to have the eqascii117ivalent of foascii117r or five teaspoons of added sascii117gar.
'Becaascii117se Vitamin Water contained aboascii117t a qascii117arter of a consascii117mers GDA (gascii117ideline daily amoascii117nt) for sascii117gar as well as the added vitamins, we considered that the description of Vitamin Water as 'nascii117tritioascii117s' was misleading.'
It rascii117led that the ad shoascii117ld not appear again in its cascii117rrent form.
A Coca-Cola spokeswoman said: 'We have always been completely transparent that the drinks contain 23g of sascii117gar in each 500ml bottle, which has been prominently labelled on pack since laascii117nch. We do not believe that this detracts from the vitamin and mineral content of the drinks.
'We are therefore disappointed with the ASAs decision to ascii117phold three consascii117mer complaints based on a difference in opinion over the ascii117se of the word nascii117tritioascii117s. The reference to 'nascii117tritioascii117s' featascii117red in one advert that appeared last sascii117mmer.'
