- Gordon Ramsay’s Gin Ad banned
- Failure to comply with Advertising Standards Authority
- Claims regarding nutritional benefits in breach of rules
An advertising campaign for Ramsay’s Gin, a collaboration between Gordon Ramsay and Eden Mill St Andrews, has been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority.
Eden Mill describes its Ramsay’s Gin as sustainably sourced with ingredients from the Scottish coastline.
A social media post stated that honeyberries grown in fields a few miles away from the Eden Mill distillery near St Andrews formed the botanical foundations of Ramsay’s Gin. The ad went on to suggest that there were nutritional benefits:
” Here, the farmer follows a philosophy of natural growth meaning the Honeyberries retain the rich flavours and micro-nutrients that come from Scotland’s wonderful terroir. With more antioxidants than blueberries, more potassium than bananas, more vitamin C than oranges and a flavour like a mixture of blueberry, plum and grape, these might be the tastiest Honeyberries in the world.”
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) pointed out the ” CAP Code required that only nutrition claims authorised on the Great Britain Nutrition and Health Claims register (the GB NHC Register) were permitted in marketing communications. A nutrition claim was defined as any claim which stated, suggested or implied that a food or drink had particular beneficial nutritional properties due to the number of calories, nutrients or other substances it contained, did not contain, or contained in reduced or increased proportions. Comparative nutrition claims must meet the conditions of use associated with the permitted claim and must compare the difference in the claimed nutrient to a range of foods of the same category. The CAP Code further required that the only permitted nutrition claims that could be made in relation to alcohol were “low alcohol”, “reduced alcohol” and “reduced energy”. “
Eden Mill Distillery deleted the ads and said they would not be used again in any form or across any channel.
The ASA pointed out: “while we welcomed the action Ramsay’s Gin had taken to withdraw the ads because the claims ‘retain … micro-nutrients’ and ‘more antioxidants than blueberries, more potassium than bananas, more vitamin C than oranges’ were nutrition claims that were not permitted for alcoholic drinks, we concluded the ads breached the Code.”
The ASA went on to say: “we told Eden Mill Distillery trading as Ramsay’s Gin not to make non-permitted nutrition claims about alcoholic drinks.”
Eden Mill acknowledged the error and said: “we have apologised to the ASA and take full responsibility. The content was posted on our Instagram and Facebook and was immediately removed on raising by the ASA.”
Cheers !
https://www.asa.org.uk/rulings/eden-mill-distillery-a22-1158772-eden-mill-distillery.html
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