Misleading advert for Scot beef
Misleading advert for Scot beef
ADVERTISING watchdogs have ruled that a campaign promoting Scotch beef is misleading and must be changed.
After investigating a complaint by a member of the public from Fife, the Advertising Standards Authority ruled this week that the use of the phrase "Raised" is misleading.
The complainant pointed out that only cattle need to be in Scotland for a minimum of 90 days before slaughter to be eligible for sale under the Specially Selected Scotch brand. The advert suggested that beef sold under the brand name came from animals born and reared in Scotland, which was not necessarily true, the complainant contested.
Even though it acknowledged the advert did not state or imply that all Scotch beef was from cattle born in Scotland, the ASA considered that "raised the way you want it" implied that all beef was from cattle raised in Scotland and that readers were unlikely to know about the 90-day rule.
The ruling stated: "Because some Scotch beef is from cattle that had been in Scotland for only 90 days, not raised there, the authority considers the advertising is misleading and has asked the advertisers to change its wording." *