Burger ad banned in the UK
Complaints about a TV advertisement which showed a girl removing salad items from a burger have been upheld by the industry watchdog in the UK.
The advert for Wm Morrison Supermarkets showed a mother preparing a burger for her daughter, who was talking about her day at school, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said.
The mother stacked lettuce, tomato and onion on top of the burger and sealed it with the top of the bun.
She then passed it to her daughter, who had just said “My teacher said I was the best in the whole class”.
The girl, on receiving the burger, removed the lettuce, tomato and onion from the bun, putting it on the side of her plate, before putting the top of the bun on the burger. The voice-over stated “Love quarter-pounders. Love them cheaper” and showed shots of burgers.
Eleven viewers challenged whether the advert condoned or encouraged poor nutritional habits, an unhealthy lifestyle or disparaged a good dietary practice, especially in children.
Advertising organisation Clearcast responded on behalf of the company, saying they had viewed the advert and paid particular attention to the advertising code.
They said the daughter did not look disdainfully at the salad items or make a face that implied she did not like them or would not eat them in the future. Because of the way the girl removed the salad, which was to make eating her burger easier, they had concluded that it was perfectly feasible that she would return to it later.
However, the ASA said: “We noted the girl grabbed all the salad in her hand and dropped it on the side in a careless manner, before placing her hands around the bun, ready to eat and smiling, which we considered suggested she was not going to eat the salad later.
“Because we considered the ad placed an emphasis on the burger being the preferable option to the salad, we concluded it condoned poor nutritional habits or an unhealthy lifestyle, especially in children, and that it disparaged good dietary practice.”
The ASA ruled that the advert must not be broadcast again in its current form, and told Morrisons to ensure future ads did not condone or encourage poor nutritional habits or an unhealthy lifestyle, especially in children.
