Sainsbury’s has come under fire after a TV advert that allegedly contained misleading dietary recommendations.

The advert, urging consumers to get their 5 A DAY fruit and vegetables for the low price of 55p, has been slammed as a voiceover stating “get on your way to 5 A DAY” coincided with a bubble containing baking potatoes.

Two people who viewed the ad, including a dietician, questioned whether it was inaccurate to include baking potatoes in relation to the 5 A DAY message.

This led the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) to conclude that the ad could be misleading because this product is classified as starchy and thus not part of the government’s recommendation.

The ASA noted that some of the products shown in the ad would count towards the government’s 5 A DAY recommendation, but some would not.

Sainsbury’s said the voiceover in the advert was very clear in its message that the range of fruit and vegetables featured is only a small selection of a person’s daily requirement and that the intention of the advert was to make consumers aware of the savings to be made during the festive period.

The ad, by Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO, will not be broadcast again in its current form.

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