The Advertising Standards Authority has told Kellogg’s to stop using the phrases ‘full of goodness’ and ‘nutritious’ in advertising for its Special K Porridge and Nutri K breakfast products.
Kellogg’s ran a TV ad for Special K cereal promoting it as a “five grain super porridge full of goodness”. The company’s website also says the Nutri K flakes used in Special K cereal help make “a nutritious start to your day”.
The ASA says that general health claims, such as ‘full of goodness’ must be backed up by a specific health benefit for the consumer.
In the case of the Special K TV ad, while the ad said Special K contains vitamin B2, which is good for skin, the ASA said that it wasn’t clearly linked to the general claim that it was “full of goodness”.
In its ruling, the ASA said: “We considered the specific health claim did not appear with or immediately following the general health claim ‘full of goodness’,” said the ASA. “As such, we considered it did not accompany the general health claim and in that regard, the ad breached the [advertising] code
Similarly, the ASA said Kellogg’s failed to back up the “nutritious” claim for its Nutri K product on its website. The ASA said that consumers had to click through two web pages to find a dedicated page with information on the Nutri K flakes and their specific health benefits.
The ASA has instructed Kellogg’s not to run either ad in its original form.
