Watchdog upholds complaint against Oatly for 'it's like milk but made for humans' ad

On the first, the FSAI said: 'The National Dairy Council considered that the statement inferred that milk was not suitable for humans and as such, disparaged acceptable dietary practices.'

An advert from a brand called Oatly attracted a complaint from the National Dairy Council, the advertising watchdog has said.

The Advertising Standards Authority of Ireland (ASAI) said it centred on a poster advertising for Oatly included the image of a carton of Oatly (Oat Drink Barista Edition) and stated: “It’s like milk but made for humans.” 

The National Dairy Council raised three issues.

On the first, the FSAI said: “The National Dairy Council considered that the statement inferred that milk was not suitable for humans and as such, disparaged acceptable dietary practices.” 

It also claimed that the advert was implying that “an oat-based beverage that contained food additives, added salt, and added nutrients was superior to cow’s milk without any evidence”.

The third issue was that it claimed no information had been provided in the advertisement as to how the product was “like milk”.

In a lengthy reply, Oatly said they did not believe that the advertisement had disparaged good dietary practices, particularly as dietary recommendations were changing as the place of plant-based drinks within a healthy diet was increasingly being acknowledged.

The ASAI said: “The advertisers said that the message of the advertisement explained what people already knew, that cow’s milk was produced by cows and was intended for calves (but that it could be consumed by humans once it had undergone processing), whereas Oat drink was a completely human invention developed and intended for humans.

“They said that the advertisement was aimed at consumers who were looking for products similar to milk that were free from animal products.” While the second and third issues were not upheld, the ASAI did uphold the first ground of complaint.

It said: “The Committee considered that the use of the phrase, “but made for humans” in advertising for a non-dairy milk alternative, implied that dairy milk was not suitable for human consumption. 

In the circumstances, the Committee considered that the use of the phrase “but made for humans” was in breach of Sections 4.1, 4.4 and 8.6 of the Code.” 

Carroll's Irish Gifts

Meanwhile, another complaint centred on a webpage for Carroll's Irish Gifts, which described a particular woollen scarf as the “perfect Irish gift”.

The complainant “considered the advertising to be misleading as when researching the product found that the brand was not of Irish origin and the scarves were not made in Ireland,” the ASAI said.

In response, Carrolls said it sold products associated with both traditional and modern Ireland.

“The advertisers stated that they were a gift store and while a customer could go into any Irish high street store and purchase a gift, they chose to come into Carroll’s Irish Gifts stores and buy from them because the products they sold had an aspect intrinsically linked to Ireland, therefore making their gifts, ‘Irish gifts’,” the ASAI said.

Carrolls also told the watchdog that its knitwear featured “traditional stitch designs that originated in Ireland centuries ago” and said they clearly showed its manufacturers’ origin and where any of their Irish products are made in Ireland they clearly set that out too.

In its decision, the ASAI said: “The Committee noted the comments in relation to the product, which was not made in Ireland, as being inspired by Irish designs.

“However, they considered that the use of the term “Irish gift” with the product, in the absence of qualifying information on the product webpage regarding its provenance, had the potential to mislead and they concluded that the advertisement was in breach of Sections 4.1, 4.4, 4.09 and 4.10 of the Code.”

ASAI chief executive Orla Twomey added: “The latest complaints bulletin from the ASAI shows the important role the ASAI plays in ensuring that advertisements are legal, truthful, decent and honest for all Irish consumers.” 

Furthermore, the ASAI also ruled that retailer Harvey Norman breached advertising standards by promoting an e-scooter as “perfect for commuters."