Burger King’s ‘plant-based’ Whopper ads are banned in Britain over claims they’re misleading
The UK regulator said that while the Burger King patty itself was plant-based, it was cooked on the same grill as meat products and also contained egg-based mayonnaise.
SHALINI NAGARAJAN: Burger King introduced and promoted its first UK plant-based burger, the Rebel Whopper, in January. Ads for the burger, however, have now been banned by the UK’s independent advertising regulator, the Advertising Standards Authority. Ten complainants had come forward with allegations that the ads misleadingly suggested the burger was suitable for vegetarians, vegans, or those with egg allergies — even though it was cooked alongside meat products and contained egg-based mayonnaise.
The ASA ruled in the complainants’ favor, concluding that the fast-food chain’s ads as a whole were misleading. Burger King UK’s Twitter account promoted the burger with images of the product that said: “100% WHOPPER. NO BEEF”… On its Facebook ads, a round logo was seen at the bottom left of the image that said “POWERED BY THE VEGETARIAN BUTCHER,” while text in small font at the bottom said, “*Product is cooked alongside meat products”…
The Advertising Standards Authority determined that consumers would understand the ads’ claims, including the phrase “plant-based burger,” to mean it would not contain any beef or animal products… The regulator said that while the patty itself was plant-based, it was cooked on the same grill as meat products and also contained egg-based mayonnaise. With that reasoning, it said the ads must not appear again in their current form…
The fast-food chain maintained that the disclaimers in its ads were meant to imply that the Rebel Whopper might not be suitable for vegans or vegetarians. It added that the information was “clearly communicated” to journalists and on all its social-media posts and in subsequent customer dialogue. SOURCE…
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