In response to a complaint that a Ready Brek poster implied the cereal was made purely from oats, the Advertising Standards Authority today (8 March) found that Weetabix had breached advertising rules.
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The poster featured a stack of oats and text which read: “Ready Brek, simply oats, finely milled, no added salt or sugar”.
In the adjudication, Weetabix argued that Ready Brek was made from wholegrain oats that were milled to oat flake and flour and then fortified with micronutrients.
The micronutrient fortification, which amounted to 3% of the product, included B vitamins, calcium and iron, was listed on the ingredients list and, the company added, is beneficial to consumers’ health. The company also highlighted the fact that Ready Brek does not contain preservatives or colourings.
Weetabix said the advert was intended to highlight the simple nature of the product. However, the company declined to comment further on the watchdog’s findings.
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By GlobalDataThe ASA said that, as porridge oats with no fortifications were available, “readers were likely to infer from the claim “simply oats” that the product contained pure oats only and, because that was not true, we concluded that the ad was misleading”.
The agency told Weetabix to amend the advertisement to avoid such an implication.
