Lollipop advertisement ruled misleading

A television advert making "essentially a nutritional claim" for Chupa Chups lollipops misrepresented the product, the Advertising Standards Complaints Board says.

The advert said the lollipops had zero per cent fat, and provided glucose, one of the best sources of energy for the brain.

In a finding on a complaint, the board said the comment about glucose and the brain was inappropriate without reference to the fact that Chupa Chups were not part of a healthy balanced diet, in other words, without acknowledging they were simply treats.

To imply a lollipop enhanced mental function was inappropriate nutritionally, the board said.

"In the board's view, the advertisement was, in effect, promoting the lollipop as a food rather than a treat, and under the circumstances this was not only deceptive and misleading but also socially irresponsible."

The board found the advert failed to meet a requirement that a high level of substantiation was needed when promoting any nutritional advantages in a food stuff.

The advertisement had not been aimed at children, with broadcasts screening between 9pm and 10pm, the board said.

Agency Mitchell and Partners Ltd said it was not claimed that consumers of a Chupa Chup were eating well, rather that glucose provided one of the best sources of energy for the brain.

"We do not imply that eating Chupa Chups aids thinking," the agency said.

The advert ran in adult airtime and was aimed at household shoppers aged between 18 and 39 with children under 14.

The agency provided excerpts from a 2002 study by CESNID (Nutritional and Dietetics University) Barcelona about the importance of glucose to the brain.

- NZPA