The series, which launched on Five this week and is presented by Anneka Rice, focuses on recipe ideas for busy mums, often featuring foods such as beans and pasta. Although Heinz products do not feature directly in the programme itself, sponsorship idents will show Heinz beans and pasta products being used in meals.
Viewers are also encouraged to send off for factsheets produced by Heinz, while thousands of promotional tins with information linking to the programme will be distributed to supermarkets.
The potential issue the watchdog is concerned about is one of undue prominence, as the recipes in the show use foods similar to those made by Heinz, potentially establishing a link between the sponsor and the content of show. The ITC said that it would look at the programme to see if the use of the products was editorially justified.
An ITC spokesperson, said: "We will be looking at [the programme] with regard to the sponsorship code, particularly the principle that programmes should not be distorted for commercial purposes … and at issues of undue prominence."
The ITC code on sponsorship forbids undue prominence for commercial goods and services in programmes of any kind.
The code says: "Any reference to such a product or service must be limited to what can clearly be justified by the editorial requirements of the programme itself. An important practical yardstick is that no impression be created of external commercial influence on the editorial process."
Regarding any possible controversy, Anna Prosser, client services director at Spring London, the agency that created Dinner Doctors for Heinz, put the onus firmly on Five.
"The key thing to remember is that editorial control lies clearly with Five. It's up to them what goes into the programme. It's the value in the programme that Heinz wants to be associated with," she said.
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