Three-a-day advert 'misleading'

Three-a-day advert too similar to five-a-day message

Complaints about a TV advert for Nestle cereals recommending three servings of wholegrain a day have been upheld by the Advertising Standards Authority.

The "three-a-day" claim is misleading and could be confused with the official five-a-day advice on eating fruit and vegetables, says the authority.

Nestle claims studies have found links between wholegrain and prevention of heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

The company maintains its advert is accurate and substantiated.

Nestle added that the US government advised consumers to eat three 16g portions of wholegrain foods each day.

Fibre diet

In the UK, current guidelines from the Food Standards Agency recommend that people should increase their intake of fibre in general.

Fibre is not found exclusively in wholegrain but is present in a range of foods including fruit, vegetables and cereals.

The TV advert showed members of the public talking about wholegrain.

A voice-over stated: "Experts say you need three servings of wholegrain a day....All of these Nestle cereals have wholegrain guaranteed."

It ended with the statement: "On your way to three-a-day."

In upholding the seven complaints, the ASA said: "We consider that the similarity between the 'three-a-day' phrase used in the ad and the government's 'five-a-day' recommendation for fruit and vegetables could cause confusion among viewers.

"We concluded that the ad was misleading."

In a statement Nestle Cereal Partners UK said: "We take great care to ensure that the information in our advertisements is accurate and substantiated. We are continuing to liaise with the ASA about this matter."