'Misleading' Nutella ad to be pulled

A commercial for Nutella broke advertising rules by overplaying the nutritional value of the high fat, high sugar spread, the UK advertising watchdog ruled today.

The TV advert showing mothers giving children Nutella on toast for breakfast sparked 53 complaints to the UK's Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

It “misleadingly” overemphasised the spread’s nutritional contribution to a balanced breakfast, the watchdog said.

The commercial broke rules relating to misleading advertising and accuracy in food advertising. The ASA ruled it should not be repeated in its current form.

The Nutella commercial included a voice-over saying: “Surprisingly, each jar contains 52 hazelnuts, the equivalent of a glass of skimmed milk and some cocoa.”

It said Nutella released energy slowly, so it could be part of a balanced breakfast.

Viewers complained the commercial did not make clear that Nutella was high in sugar and fat.

After an investigation, the ASA ruled: “We understood that small quantities of sugar and fat were recommended as part of a balanced diet, but noted Nutella had a high sugar and fat content.

“We considered that the ad misleadingly implied the spread made a more significant nutritional contribution to a balanced breakfast than was the case.”

The ASA knocked back other complaints from viewers who thought the commercial misleadingly implied Nutella was a slow energy release product and that it contained only hazelnuts, skimmed milk and cocoa powder.

Responding to the ruling, a statement released for Nutella which is made by Ferrero UK said: “At no stage did we set out to mislead consumers as to the nature of Nutella Hazelnut Spread and we have always been very clear about the ingredients and nutritional information in all of our communications, on all our packs and on our website.”

The firm took advice from independent nutritionists before making the commercial and is working to ensure the amended Nutella advert complied with the ASA ruling.

Nutella advertising was targeted at adults rather than children, the statement added.

Consumer group Which? Earlier lodged a complaint with the ASA about the Nutella commercial.

Which? Health and food campaigner Miranda Watson said: “We think it is highly irresponsible of Nutella to imply that their spread is healthier than it actually is, especially as the ad clearly encourages parents to give it to their children for breakfast.

“You would have to eat a whole jar just to get the claimed ’equivalent of a glass of skimmed milk’.

“That would also mean consuming over 100g of sugar, even for the smallest jar of Nutella. We are pleased that the ASA has finally agreed that this ad is misleading but this won’t help the parents who have been exposed to the ad for months.”