Tesco has had its own-brand Plant Chef Burger advertisements banned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for having misleading environmental claims.
A TV, video on demand (VOD), radio, press ad, tweet and website for Tesco claimed that “a little swap” from meat-based products to the grocer’s own brand Plant Chef products would “make a difference to the planet.”
The ASA and the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) code requires that environmental claims about an advertised product are based on its full life cycle and that the ad does not mislead consumers about the product’s total environmental impact.
“We understand that some plant-based products may contain a combination of ingredients, which may have been subject to complex production processes – such products could theoretically result in their having a similar or greater negative environmental impact than basic plant ingredients, or a meat-based alternative,” the ASA said.
The news comes just weeks after Tesco Mobile had three ads banned for alluding to offensive expletives.
Several members of the public complained to the ASA about the misleading nature of the ad and challenged whether the claims could be substantiated.
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Tesco responded by stating the ads were highlighting the ways in which it was lowering the price of its vegetarian products to battle the idea that plant-based products are expensive.
The grocer also claimed that the ads were not meant to be absolute environmental claims, as they did not claim that the products were wholly sustainable or good for the planet.
The ASA added: “Tesco said the wording “little” played an important part in determining the breadth of the claims. They said they were not claiming that the products were sustainable or good in and of themselves, but that by eating plant-based products, as opposed to meat-based, consumers could make a small or “little” difference.”
With regards to the ingredients in the brand’s Plant Chef range, Tesco said they were committed to zero-net deforestation and were members of the Consumer Good Forum and the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO).
Clearcast and Radiocentre also “fully endorsed” Tesco’s ads, battling against the idea that the chain was greenwashing.
Nevertheless, the advertising watchdog found that the ads and their environmental claims could not be sufficiently supported and proven and were therefore banned.
“Because we considered the ads implied that switching to products in the Plant Chef range would positively affect the environment, we expected to see evidence that that was the case based on the full life cycle of the Plant Chef burger in comparison with a meat burger,” the ASA added.
“We told Tesco to ensure that in future they did not make environmental claims about their products unless they held sufficient evidence to substantiate the claims. We also told them to ensure that the basis of any environmental claims was made clear.”
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