A UK advert for Kellogg’s Special K brand has been banned after the cereal giant “misled” consumers over the amount of calories in the product.
A TV ad for Special K, which featured a woman pouring milk over the cereal, claimed the dish contained 114 calories.
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However, a complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) argued Kellogg had not included the calories found in milk in its count.
Kellogg argued many consumers ate cereal dry, with yoghurt or with orange juice, the ASA said in its ruling today (4 July).
Clearcast, an organisation that clears ads before they are aired, gave the green light to the ad and said milk was only a serving suggestion, the ASA said.
Nevertheless, the ASA said Kellogg should have clarified that the calorie count excluded milk and said the company had “misled” shoppers.
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By GlobalData“The ad must not appear again in its current form. We told Kellogg’s to ensure similar ads that featured calorie claims clarified whether or not they included milk,” the ASA said.
Paul Wheeler, head of external communications at Kellogg UK, said the company’s decision to not include the calories from milk in the ad made the “nutritional information relevant to everyone”. However, he added Kellogg accepted the ASA’s ruling.
