Lidl Ireland has been warned by the Advertising Authority of Ireland (ASAI) after it upheld a consumer complaint about a recent Lidl ad for 'Tasty Back To School Breakfast Ideas".
The ad in question featured a recipe for 'HEALTHY Eggy Bread' and was accompanied by a picture of three slices of French toast topped with maple syrup and surrounded by strawberries and blueberries. The ad also featured a 'Top Tip' which recommended adding crispy bacon for an 'extra special treat'.
The complainant said that she considered what Lidl was offering as a 'Healthy' breakfast was far from such. Also, she wasn't impressed that the absence of any nutritional information to accompany the recipe, thus rendering it misleading.
The ASAI agreed with the complainant, saying that "describing the eggy bread as being 'Healhty' could indeed be regarded as somewhat far-reaching, owing to the absence of solid nutritional information for such a claim.' It directed that the advertising should not be used again. The Complaints Committee also reminded all advertisers that they must be able to provide substantiation for claims, including health claims, made in their advertising.
Lidl said that "it had never been its intention to mislead its customers" and that it "would endeavour to be more cautious with recipes and associated imagery" in future.
Lidl was one of 11 advertisers that were found to have been in breach of the ASAI code in the group's latest Complaints Bulletin.
© 2015 - Checkout Magazine by Niall Swan
