Smoothie ad claims 'broke rules'

Smoothies are marketed as a natural option

A smoothie advert which claimed the fruit drink could rid the body of toxins has been criticised by the industry watchdog.

Manufacturers Innocent said the antioxidants in one smoothie were the equivalent of the recommended five daily portions of fruit and vegetables.

However, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) decided it didn't have the evidence to back that claim.

Innocent has now apologised for any confusion caused by the advert.

We did not consider Innocent Ltd had provided evidence to prove their product removed toxins from the body Advertising Standards Authority ruling

The drink - the acai, pomegranate and blueberry smoothie - contains acai berries, a nut-like fruit which grows in the Brazilian rainforests and which contains high levels of antioxidants.

The firm marketed the drink as a "natural detox superfoods smoothie".

In newspaper adverts, it claimed: "we blended acai with equally incredible pomegranates and blueberries to produce a recipe that contains even more antioxidants than the average five a day."

No evidence

However, the ASA ruled that neither the detoxifying, nor the antioxidant claim stood up to close scrutiny.

In its ruling, it said: "We did not consider Innocent Ltd had provided evidence to prove their product removed toxins from the body."

We're sorry if anyone found the press ad confusing - that certainly wasn't our intention Richard Reed Innocent Ltd

It said that "accepted nutritional advice" suggested that smoothies and fruit juice could only count as one of the "five-a-day" portions.

"We did not consider the evidence Innocent Ltd provided proved their product provided more antioxidants than five portions of fruit and vegetables per day."

It told the company to make sure it had the evidence to back its advertising claims in future.

Innocent said that it had no plans to use the advert again, or make similar claims.

Richard Reed, its co-founder, said: "We're sorry if anyone found the press ad confusing - that certainly wasn't our intention.

"The ad's main message was that our drinks are 100% natural and made from nothing but fruit which is absolutely true and contested by no-one."

A recent survey suggested that Innocent was one of the fastest growing companies in the food industry, fuelled by the popularity of "healthy" fruit juices and smoothies.