London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 04, 2025

Two vegan adverts banned because they were 'misleading' and 'distressing'

Two vegan adverts banned because they were 'misleading' and 'distressing'

An advert for Vegan Friendly UK and one for Tesco's plant based burgers were both banned by the Advertising Standards Agency amid claims of gratuitous violence and misleading claims.

Two vegan adverts have been banned by the advertising watchdog, amid claims they were misleading and "distressing".

A TV advert for the organisation Vegan Friendly UK drew complaints about its use of graphic images of animals in distress which played alongside people eating.

The ad, seen in March, showed two women and one man around a table juxtaposed with clips of a fish head which was still gasping for air, a live piglet alongside a pig with its eyes closed and a cow which appeared to have tears coming from its eye.

A further clip showed a cow's skinned head with its eyes and teeth still present lying on its side.

As those at the table continued to eat, the advert stated: "No animal was harmed, consumed, or purchased to make this advert," followed by the text: "Make the connection."

The Advertising Standards Authority received 63 complaints, including that the ad contained gratuitous violence towards animals which caused unnecessary distress to viewers.

However, Vegan Friendly UK said the clips used in the ad did not portray actions of violence or harm and that such imagery was seen regularly in butchers' or fishmongers' windows on the average UK high street.

They clarified that the aim of the ad was to encourage meat eaters who were against animal cruelty to reconsider their actions, adding that they believed that their ad did not vilify meat eaters.

The ad was given a restriction preventing it from being transmitted in or adjacent to programmes commissioned for, principally directed at or likely to appeal to children under 16.

But the ASA ruled this was not enough and that it must not appear again as it was "not suitable for broadcast on TV regardless of scheduling restrictions".

Adverts for Tesco's Plant Chef burgers were also cited


Meanwhile, adverts for Tesco's Plant Chef burgers were also taken off air over "misleading" claims that the products could make a positive difference to the environment, compared with their meat equivalents.

The TV, video on demand, radio, press, Twitter and website ads in October and November featured a woman about to eat a burger while hearing the words on television: "The planet is continuing to warm," after which a voice-over said: "Now that's not what Zoe likes to hear, but she's gonna roll up her sleeves and do her bit... and there it is, a delicious Tesco Plant Chef burger.

"We've lowered the price of dozens of our Plant Chef products because a little swap can make a difference to the planet."

But the ad attracted 171 complaints from viewers.

'No evidence of claims'


The supermarket giant said the wording "little" played an important part in determining the breadth of the claims, adding that they were not claiming that the products were sustainable or good in and of themselves, but that by eating plant-based products as opposed to meat-based, consumers could make a small or "little" difference.

However, the ASA ruled that "Tesco did not hold any evidence in relation to the full lifecycle of any of the products in the Plant Chef range, or of the burger featured in the ads. We were, therefore, unable to assess the product's total environmental impact over its life cycle compared with that of a meat burger".

The ASA ruled the Vegan Friendly UK advert caused unnecessary distress to viewers


Separately, the ASA found that a radio and TV ad for Sainsbury's that promoted the general benefits to the environment of reducing meat protein in substitution for plant protein was not misleading.

A Tesco spokesman said: "We offer hundreds of plant-based options and while we are disappointed by this outcome, our customers can continue to count on us to help them enjoy a better balanced diet with plenty more delicious and affordable plant-based products in the pipeline."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Queen Camilla’s Teenage Courage: Fended Off Attempted Assault on London Train, New Biography Reveals
Scottish Brothers Set Record in Historic Pacific Row
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
Investigations Reveal Rise in ‘Sex-for-Rent’ Listings Across Canada Exploiting Vulnerable Tenants
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
×