Four complaints against Applegreen in relation to its chicken-free fillet roll were also upheld.
A brochure for Lidl is among 14 advertisements found to be in breach of the Advertising Standards Authority of Ireland (ASAI) code.
This is according to the ASAI’s most recent complaints bulletin, which states that 11 of these cases were upheld and three were upheld in part.
In the case of Lidl, a complaint was received in relation to advertising in a brochure for the supermarket chain for a stand-up paddle board.
The complaint came from Water Safety Ireland due to the fact that the man featured on the paddle board in the brochure was not wearing a life jacket.
The charity said it was against the law to be out on a craft of this size without a life jacket and asked that the photograph be withdrawn as it had “the potential to encourage people not to wear a life jacket when using watercrafts”.
In response to the complaint, Lidl stated it was committed to full compliance with ASAI Code and took great care to ensure that advertisements did not portray illegal behaviour.
It argued that out of a full-page advertisement in its leaflet, a third of the advertising space for the product was devoted to water safety information that included advice to wear buoyancy aids.
The supermarket chain also said it “respectfully disagreed” that there was a legal obligation for users of stand-up paddle boards to wear life jackets.
The ASAI upheld the complaint, explaining that the code requirement is that a marketing communication should not encourage or condone dangerous behaviour or unsafe practices.
“While noting the inclusion of water safety advice in the advertisement, the committee considered that the visual of person on a paddle board without a PFD could encourage an unsafe practice,” it said.
Meanwhile, a social media post and a sponsored article on a website for Applegreen’s new chicken-free fillet roll received four complaints for the use of the words “plant-based chicken fillet roll”.
The complainants objected to the advertising on the grounds that it was misleading to describe the product as “vegan chicken”.
Applegreen acknowledged that the wording used to describe the product in certain promotional situations was incorrect and apologised for the error.
The ASAI upheld the complaints, with its committee stating that the term “plant-based chicken fillet” was likely to mislead.
Commenting on the latest rulings, Chief Executive of the ASAI Orla Twomey stated:
“The latest complaints bulletin from the ASAI shows that we have an important role in ensuring that advertisers in Ireland adhere to the advertising code.
“The ASAI monitors advertisement and marketing communications regularly to ensure that they are legal, truthful, decent, and honest, prepared with a sense of social responsibility to the consumer and society and with proper respect for the principles of fair competition.”
You can see the complaints included in the latest ASAI bulletin on its website here.
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