Lidl and Iceland named first supermarkets to break main new rule | UK | News

Adverts for supermarkets Lidl and Iceland have become the first to be banned under new guidelines governing “less healthy” food and drink. The guidelines, which came into impact at the starting of the 12 months, are half of Government efforts to sort out childhood weight problems by stopping advertisements for food and drink that are high in fats, salt and sugar (HFSS) showing on tv between 5.30am and 9pm, and online at any time.

The new ban applies to merchandise that fall within 13 classes thought-about to play the most important function in childhood weight problems, including comfortable drinks, sweets and sweets, pizzas and ice lotions, but also breakfast cereals and porridges, sweetened bread merchandise, and primary meals and sandwiches.

Products that fall into these classes are also assessed as to whether they are “less healthy” utilizing a scoring software that considers their nutrient ranges and whether they are high in saturated fats, salt or sugar.

Only merchandise that meet both of the two standards are included in the restrictions.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said an Instagram post for Lidl Northern Ireland by influencer Emma Kearney featured the grocer’s cheese pretzel, which was not categorised as HFSS and therefore did not fall within the restrictions, and its Pain Suisse product, which was labeled as both HFSS and a sweetened bread product and was therefore banned under the new guidelines.

Lidl said the advert had been eliminated and they had liaised with their advertising company to guarantee that all future advertisements complied with the new guidelines. Express.co.uk has contacted the company for remark.

In a separate case, Iceland confirmed that two advertisements included a tub of Swizzles Sweet Treats, a packet of Chupa Chups Laces, a bag of Chooee Disco Stix and a bag of Haribo Elf Surprises, which were all labeled as HFSS.

They also supplied nutrient profile info from their provider, which confirmed that Pringles Sour Cream and Onion crisps, also included in the advertisements, were not an HFSS product.

Iceland’s Luxury Aberdeen Angus Beef Roasting Joint, Vegetable Spring Rolls, Sticky Chicken Skewers and Lurpak Spreadable Butter, which were also included in the advertisements, did not fall within the new restrictions.

The ASA did not uphold a criticism against an Instagram post by influencer John Fisher – identified to many as Big John – which featured him selling menu gadgets at a new German Doner Kebab outlet because the particular gadgets proven in the advert were not labeled as less healthy meals.

The watchdog also cleared a TV advert for On The Beach selling free airport lounge access, which featured a boy approaching a buffet and taking a chocolate ring doughnut.

The ASA said viewers would see the advert as exhibiting an instance of what was out there in the lounge rather than for the doughnut itself, that means it did not break the guidelines.

ASA chief govt Guy Parker said: “As the ad regulator, our role is to remain impartial and independent, making sure our new LHF rules, which reflect the law, are applied fairly and consistently.

“These initial rulings are an important step in building a clearer picture of how the rules are applied in reality.

“We’ll be continuing to play our role in administering and enforcing them, including by using tech-assisted proactive monitoring.”

An Iceland spokesman said: “The products highlighted were part of a bigger range in the specific display ad and were featured due to a technical fault with a data feed from a third-party supplier.

“As the ASA has pointed out, these initial rulings are helping to build a clearer picture of how the new rules are applied, following the initial confusion and debate around the regulations.”