The print advertisement, created by Leo Burnett, showed a photograph of a carton of eggs printed with the words "Free Range", accompanied by the headline "What comes first, the chicken or the egg? We think it's the chicken". Text at the bottom of the page stated: "The welfare of our chickens is always a priority at McDonald's. And that means when you're enjoying one of our breakfasts, you can be sure you're only eating free range eggs."
Four people wrote to the ASA to complain that the ad implied that chicken meat used in McDonald's products was free range and that the blurb misleadingly implied that the fast food chain was committed to animal welfare.
The authority rejected the complaints, saying that readers were likely to realise the claims referred to eggs only. While McDonald's admitted that its poultry is not free-range, it asserted that the welfare of its chickens was a priority nonetheless. The group argued that it is involved in animal welfare projects, demands its suppliers meet set welfare standards, employs people to monitor chicken farms, and meets regularly with the RSPCA.
Despite the implication in the breakfast eggs ad that a free range lifestyle was best for chickens and McDonald's admission that it did not use free range meat, the authority considered that the fast food chain saw the welfare of its poultry as a priority.
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