Breitbart News reports that the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled against the British Vegan Society and the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) over their challenge of multimedia advertisements which said that eating meat was healthy.
PETA, the Vegan Society, and the Humane League UK complained that ads put out by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) were “misleading” because “they implied that consumption of meat and dairy was required in order to eat a healthy, balanced diet” and that it was required to obtain vitamin B12, amongst other complaints about the campaign, including the objection to the word “natural.”
The ASA threw out all of the objections, notably saying that “the ads did not state that consumers could not obtain a balanced and healthy diet unless they ate meat or dairy” and that it was “factually accurate to state that vitamin B12 was not naturally present in a vegan diet.”
The ruling was a refreshing alternative to others made by the body in recent years, including in 2019 when it banned a Volkswagen ad on TV featuring a mother caring for her baby while men were being adventurous on the grounds that it had “presented gender stereotypes in a way that was likely to cause harm.”
AHDB chief communications officer Christine Watts said the organization was “delighted” with the ASA’s ruling, continuing: “For British farming this is an important day as we can continue to communicate the benefits around consuming red meat and dairy as part of a balanced diet.”