ASA raps Lever Fabergé over Persil Non-Bio claim

Lever Fabergé has been castigated by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) over an “unbeatable cleaning” claim made for its Persil Non-Bio detergent brand in a press ad created by J Walter Thompson. The ruling follows a complaint from rival manufacturer Procter & Gamble (P&G).

P&G also objected to the implication that Persil Non-Bio gives “unbeatable… care” and says that the Lever Fabergé product does not have a better cleaning performance than other detergents. P&G’s detergent brands include Ariel, Bold and Fairy.

The ASA upheld both complaints and has advised the advertiser not to repeat the claim. It adds that the “unbeatable cleaning” claim is not supported by the advertiser’s evidence and that it is misleading.

The advertising watchdog has also censured Marlow Foods, manufacturer of Quorn, over three press ads which imply that Quorn is derived from mushroom. According to the Government, the term “mycoprotein” is used to describe the main ingredient in Quorn products.

The Mushroom Bureau in London and the Centre for Science in the Public Interest in Washington DC objected to the ads, which state that “our mince is made from a natural mushroom protein”, and “our burger is made from a natural mushroom protein”. The ASA ruled that the claim is misleading.