Misinformation Everywhere!

This might be in the wrong place...

I recently saw the story of how coca-cola had to stop calling their vitamin water nutritious in ads because people complained about false advertising. Their reason? It contained 23g of sugar.

The ASA upheld the complaints because, the ASA said it considered that consumers would understand the word "nutritious" as a claim that Vitamin Water contained added ingredients that were needed by the body in order to stay healthy.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12218673

Now, I wouldn't touch the stuff myself, but this story really got to me. It is nutritious. I does contain added vitamins, ie. added nutrients. The ASA only pulled the advertisement because people wouldn't understand what nutritious means. How could someone care enough to complain and try to get the ad pulled, but not care enough to actually find out what nutritious means? If it had said delicious and healthy, I'd agree, 23g of sugar is too much to be called healthy. But it said delicious and nutritious. You can debate that it's not delicious, but how is it not nutritious? Not only does it contain the nutrients it claims to, but it also contains sugar - which is a nutrient in itself!!!

I can't believe that people complained. If they cared that much, they should find out facts first. As if they had been lied to, when sugar is listed on the bottle. I don't like the idea of vitamin water, I don't think it's particularly healthy either, but that's why I don't drink it. If they don't like that it contains sugar they shouldn't drink it either. But coca cola did not lie. I can't see how they falsely advertised.

Sorry for the rant, and if I'm wrong or missing something I didn't see, please let me know because stuff like this drives me crazy.

Davei141

Personally i would like to see way more of this stuff going on. Go poll 10 random people on what the word nutritious means and see if the ASA is wrong.

Torakx

Too many people are way too ignorant of these things for their own good and i would like to see people being educated at school about this instead of being turned into consumers.
I refuse to buy tinned peas anymore because on the tin it says added sugar.I wonder how many people who buy peas understand how much sugar they are eating just as an example.

For a company to put 23g of sugar into a drink and still call it nutritious will obviously fool anyone who is ignorant enough not to read the ingredients...which is the majority of the population of Ireland id imagine.
So until the people are educated on basic health they need someone to protect them from themselves and these companies who are trying to sell them sugar in a bottle.

El_Dangeroso

Refined sugar is an anti-nutrient. It causes you to consume vitamins in it's digestion.

Fair-play to the ASA. Now if they'd only start going after Flora and Benecol for the blatant medical claims in their advertisements..

Bottle_of_Smoke

I think this product is very sinister. The one over here's packaging is done up pharmaceutical medicine style.

Its boast is it contains 50% of your daily vitamin requirements. Now of course these are water soluble vitamins which are virtually impossible to not consume if you live in the western world and aren't an anorexic/alcoholic etc.

Now OP I think you have a point but it is largely semantics. To most people nutritious means ''food that is good for you/food which is healthy'' rather than simply ''contains nutrients''

The reason I'd say this is sinister is because coming out with a line like ''50% of your daily vitamin needs'' may give some people the idea they can use it to replace meals. Something this drink is nowhere near suitable for.

So I'm definitely glad about this ASA ruling.


PS Curious as to why they put sugar in it. Thought coca-cola were heading down the sweetener route. Coke zero etc.

Torakx

God i hope they dont start replacing sugar with sweetners! thats even worse in most cases.
From reading the back of everything i buy that is going into my body i must say the most scariest products ive seen ussually have diet written on the front.

rocky

God i hope they will start replacing sugar with sweetners! thats better in most cases.


To allay this forum's fears, sweeteners don't even raise insulin, not that it matters anyway :pac:

Torakx

hehe yes and that coke water is nutritious
I hear xylitol is fairly safe but doubt it would be used over saccarin or aspartame.