McCain chips ad 'did not mislead consumers'

Food

Staff

July 30, 2008

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McCain chips ad 'did not mislead consumers'

LONDON - A poster ad for McCain was unlikely to lead consumers to believe its chips are fruit or vegetables, the ad watchdog ruled today.

The ad for Rustic Oven Chips featured the headline "Eat Your Greens" above four green circles, containing the words "low fat", "low saturates", "low sugar", "low salt".

But the Advertising Standards Agency said the ad, produced in-house by McCain, was not irresponsible or misleading.

Its ruling said: "The ASA noted McCain's argument that the headline claim referred to the fact that Rustic Oven Chips had four green traffic light symbols in accordance with the FSA's traffic light labelling scheme, and not that the chips could be consumed as part of a person's recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables a day."

Nine complainants believed the ad implied that oven chips were a green vegetable and could be counted as one of a person's recommended five portions of fruit and veg.