Description:
The ad, an email promoting the new line of Natura-Gro edible plants, described their product as natural and meeting the highest standards gardeners would expect. The website claimed that the products surpass standards of certified organic practices.
Complaint:
The complainant challenged the accuracy and clarity of the ads, which stated that the plants were not certified organic, but that the plants surpassed the standards of organic practices.
Response:
Although Ad Standards requested a response from the advertiser, there was no response sent to the Council.
Decision:
Council members considered the complaint together with the ad and the advertiser’s website.
Council noted that the advertiser’s claim implied a superiority over other similar products, including organic products, by stating that their standards surpassed them. Given the lack of substantiation provided upon request, Council considered that there was no evidence to support the claim that the plants exceeded the standards of organic practices. Therefore, the claim was not verified or supported, contravening Clause 1(e) of the Code, which states that all advertising claims and representations must be supported by competent and reliable evidence, which the advertiser will disclose to Ad Standards upon its request.
Council members unanimously determined that the advertisement breached Clause 1(e) of the Code.
Infraction:
Clause 1(e)
