The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has rejected complaints that advertising for McDonald's Fruitizz drink was misleading in its 5 A Day claims.
In May, an advertising banner on the Mumsnet website and a TV ad claimed that a 250ml serving of the fizzy drink contained one portion of a child’s 5 A Day. Two complainants challenged whether the "1 of your 5-a-day" claims were misleading and could be substantiated.
McDonald’s stated that the advertised product was a 250ml serving which contained approximately 150ml of grape, apple, raspberry and lemon juice from concentrate, water, natural flavourings and the preservative, potassium sorbate, with no added sugar.
The fast-food giant explained that the word “approximately” in reference to 150ml of fruit juice was deliberately used in the ads because the in-store drinks fountain was calibrated to deliver 62 per cent of fruit juice, which equated to 155ml of fruit juice, thus providing a margin of error. The restaurant chain also pointed to government guidelines on the Department of Health (DH) website which stated that "1 medium (150ml) glass of unsweetened 100 per cent fruit juice can count as one portion".
The authority’s assessment was not to uphold the claims. In a statement it said: “Although not licensed under the DH 5 A DAY logo system the ASA noted DH guidance stated consumers could get one of their 5 A Day from 150ml of 100 per cent fruit juice from concentrate.
“We also understood the addition of 100ml water (approximately) and natural flavourings and preservatives did not negate the 5 A DAY benefits of that 150ml of fruit juice providing the entire 250ml serving was consumed. The TV ad included on-screen text and the banner ad included text which stated ‘1 of your 5 A Day based on 150ml fruit juice per 250ml serving’ and we considered this made clear to consumers the basis of the 5 A DAY claim.”
“We concluded that the ‘1 of your 5 A Day’ claims … had been substantiated and that the ads were not misleading.”
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