The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) recently prohibited a radio advertisement for Mondelez International’s Cadbury Delights following a complaint concerning its nutrition claims.
This advert, which aired in January, faced scrutiny due to the phrase “only 91 calories.” Some listeners deemed it misleading.
In the advertisement, a voiceover stated, “Some people might describe Cadbury Delights as just another Cadbury bar. A bit samey. Very familiar. Honestly, we’d be chuffed if they did. Because Delights have that same chocolatey Cadbury taste you’ve had a million times before. Same soft nougat, same gooey caramel. But they’re only 91 calories. So, samey is exactly what we’re going for. Cadbury Delights. Same Cadbury, only 91 calories.”
A registered nutritionist raised concerns about whether the claim “only 91 calories” adhered to ASA guidelines.
Furthermore, the ASA investigated whether the advertisement implied an “energy reduced” comparative nutrition claim, potentially violating the CAP Code.
In its defense, Mondelez stated that the advert had received approval from Radiocentre, the UK radio industry body. The company asserted that the ad aimed to deliver “factual information” regarding the bar’s calorie content, backed by consumer research indicating that “factual calorie information” was essential to its audience.
Mondelez emphasized that the advertisement intended to underscore the product’s taste rather than its health benefits. The company also noted it would revise future ads to prevent conveying misleading implications.
Radiocentre confirmed to the ASA that it had cleared the claim that the product “contains 91 calories” and did not interpret the wording as “only 91 calories.”
Consequently, the ASA upheld the ban, stating that only nutrition claims sanctioned by the Great Britain Nutrition and Health Claims Register (GB NHC Register) are permitted in food and drink advertisements within the country.
The watchdog concluded: “We therefore considered that listeners would understand the claim only 91 calories as a low calorie claim, which was equivalent to the ‘low energy’ nutrition claim authorized on the GB NHC Register.”
Moreover, the ASA pointed out that the “low energy” claim applies only to products containing no more than 40 kcal per 100 g of solids. However, Cadbury Delights contained 413 or 415 kcal per 100 g, depending on the flavor.
Overall, the advertisement violated BCAP Code rules 13.4, 13.4.1, and 13.4.2, which govern claims related to food, dietary supplements, and associated health and nutrition statements.
The ASA mandated that the ad “must not” air again in its current iteration.
In a statement a Mondelez representative acknowledged: “We recognise the decision by the ASA and will abide by its ruling.”
The spokesperson added: “The intention of our advert was to provide factual information on the calorie content per bar, whilst underlining taste credentials, with our research highlighting that this approach resonated with consumers. We did not intend to make a nutrition claim in any of our creative.”
Furthermore, the representative confirmed that the campaign has “now ended” and stated that Mondelez will collaborate with its partners to ensure future advertisements adhere to the ASA’s ruling and broader advertising guidelines
