Lidl and Iceland have become the first retailers to have their advertisements prohibited following the implementation of new regulations aimed at curbing the promotion of unhealthy food in the UK.
Since January 5, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has been enforcing a ban on television commercials for junk food before 9 PM and on paid online advertisements at any time. On Wednesday, the ASA announced that both supermarket chains had violated these regulations with advertisements that appeared on Instagram and the Daily Mail website.
The government’s initiative to combat the increasing rates of childhood obesity includes a prohibition on advertising items categorized as high in fat, salt, and sugar (HFSS). In one instance, Lidl Northern Ireland engaged Emma Kearney, a well-known beauty and lifestyle influencer known as Baby Emzo, to promote its bakery offerings through an Instagram post.
This post featured a selection of pain suisse, a French pastry filled with vanilla cream and chocolate chips, which was flagged by a complainant to the ASA for being a “less healthy” option that contravenes UK regulations. While Lidl asserted that the advertisement was meant to focus on brand promotion—allowed under the new rules as long as no specific unhealthy product was showcased—they acknowledged that the ad inadvertently highlighted a prohibited item.
Iceland Foods also faced scrutiny for a digital display and banner advertisement on the Daily Mail website that promoted various products, including Swizzels Sweet Treats, Chupa Chups Laces, Choose Disco Stix, and Haribo Elf Surprises. These products, which fall under the category of chocolates and sweets, are considered HFSS and therefore cannot be advertised according to the new guidelines.
Iceland indicated that although it requests nutrient information from all suppliers, it recognizes there are deficiencies in the data received. To address this, the supermarket has engaged a data provider to regularly compile nutritional information for all items listed on its website, aiming to identify those classified as “less healthy.” However, the problematic advertisements had already been published on the Daily Mail website.
The ASA upheld the complaints against both Lidl and Iceland, issuing a ban on their advertisements and instructing the supermarkets to ensure that their digital marketing complies with the established guidelines regarding junk food promotion.
