Tighter code fails to stop dodgy diets
Companies are continuing to break the Advertising Standards Authority code on slimming and health products despite the authority’s renewed efforts to tighten up on the area.
The ASA’s latest report upholds four separate complaints against companies for making misleading and unsubstantiated claims for their products. The judgements come two months after the ASA tightened rules on the advertising of slimming products.
It was the second time a complaint had been upheld against one of the companies, Cinergi Distributors, which made a series of slimming claims including “boost your metabolism with Cinergi and eat yourself slim”. The other companies found guilty by the ASA are Belle SantéNorthern, the Diva Studio and Pharma Health and Beauty.
The report also highlighted the ASA’s concern over celebrity endorsements. It appealed to advertisers to make the relationships between the advertisers and the stars more transparent. The Saatchi & Saatchi poster campaign for Club 18-30 generated 314 complaints.
