ASA Pulls Benecol Advert for “Misleading Health Claims”

15 May 2014 --- A television advert for Benecol has been banned in the UK by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for making unsubstantiated health claims. The advert, for Benecol yoghurt drinks, was challenged for the statement “two out of three adults have high cholesterol”, which was queried by viewers of the advert.

The advert was also examined for its claims that Benecol had been “proven to lower cholesterol” and could “lower cholesterol up to 10% in three weeks”.

The ASA ruled that the ad’s claim that “two out of three adults have high cholesterol” was misleading, stating there was “no official consensus” about what levels would be regarded as ‘high cholesterol’. Johnson & Johnson said this claim was based on the understanding that total cholesterol of 5mmol/1 or less and low density cholesterol (LDL-C) of 3mmol/l or less were regarded as desirable, and anything exceeding these levels would therefore amount to high or raised cholesterol.

But the ASA stated it concluded that the claim “two out of three adults have high cholesterol” was misleading and that the overall impression of the ad was that it exaggerated the health benefit of the product.

The ASA has ordered that Johnson & Johnson cannot air the advert in its current form. The company has been advised to “ensure future ads did not give a misleading impression of the health benefits of a product and that such benefits were presented clearly and without exaggeration.”

The company was also told to “ensure future health claims met the conditions of use associated with the relevant claim as specified in the EU Register”.  The latter includes the European Food Safety Authority and the European Commission.