Advertising Standards Bureau Review of Operations 2014 | Page 48

Food and Beverage Advertising
There are a range of
self‑regulatory Codes and
Initiatives which control
advertising of food and
beverages and advertising to
children generally.
It is important to note the
scope and intention of these
Initiatives and of the AANA
Codes which also regulate
food and beverage advertising.
These Codes and Initiatives
do not purport to prevent
advertising of food and
beverages to children.

AANA Food and Beverages
Advertising and Marketing
Communications Code
The ASB administers the AANA Food and
Beverages Code (the AANA Food Code).
The AANA Food Code has provisions around
advertising food and beverages generally. Part
3 of this Code has specific restrictions around
advertising food and beverages to children and
these are discussed below in relation to cases
under the Food Code.
During 2014, 19 cases were considered under
the AANA Food Code, 12 of which were also
considered under the RCMI or QSRI and are
discussed below.
The key issues to be drawn from cases considered
primarily under the AANA Food Code during
2014 relate to truth and accuracy.

Section 2.1 - Truth and Accuracy/
Nutritional composition of the product
The truth of claims and statements made in
food advertisements is an issue that the Board
can consider under section 2.1 of the Food
Code. During 2014 a number of complaints
concerned the truthfulness of statements made
in advertisements for food products including
whether or not the following comments in
advertising were misleading:

0232/14) whether the advertising of A2
protein in milk highlights misleading health
benefits (Lion - 0272/14)
•

w
hether an advertisement for barista-made
coffee is misleading if not all coffee sold is
barista made (McDonald’s - 0283/14)

•

w
hether depiction of sliced cheese and
fresh salad in products that contain only
processed or frozen ingredients is misleading
(McDonald’s - 0376/14 and Hungry
Jacks - 0406/14)

In each of these cases the complaint were
dismissed. In 2014 only one complaint was
upheld under section 2.1 for being misleading
or deceptive:
•

t
he use of the words ‘fresh’ and ‘spring’ in
describing apples was found to be misleading
as the apples had been stored in cold storage
for a number of months and were not
harvested in spring (Coles - 0407/14)

Section 2.2 - Excess consumption and
undermining balanced diets
In 2014, one advertisement was initially upheld
under the Food Code for promoting excess
consumption by showing unrealistic amounts
of food for the number of people depicted
YUM Restaurants - 0154/14). However, upon
reconsideration by the Board, following the
recommendation of the Independent Reviewer,
this determination was reversed, as the Board
determined that the amount of food was not
unrealistic for the target audience which was
described as being families and groups of friends.

•

•

w
hether free range products ‘taste better’ than
non-free range products (Coles - 0023/14
and 0025/14)

•

w
hether use of ima vW2