Horlicks and Maggi noodle ads banned in Britain

Oct 22 2008

An advert claiming that the bedtime malt drink Horlicks makes children "taller, stronger and sharper" has been banned after it was unintentionally screened on British television.

The advert which claimed Horlicks had been tested on children at a boarding school has been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) along with an advert for a brand of Nestle noodles which made claims about strengthening muscles and bones.

The ASA says the adverts were misleading and broke the UK's strict industry code - the adverts were apparently meant to be aired in Bangladesh, but appeared in Britain on NTV as part of a rebroadcast deal.

The Horlicks advert included a voiceover stating that "children have become taller, stronger and sharper" - GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), maker of Horlicks, says the version of the product sold in Bangladesh is fortified and its health claims were supported by clinical studies done by the National Institute of Nutrition in India.

The Horlicks sold in the UK is apparently not fortified and GSK said there was no intention of advertising it as such here and Nestle has made a similar argument about its Maggi Noodles which they say in Bangladesh are also fortified - it was also not meant to be aired in the UK.

In the advert, a mother appears explaining to her child that "Maggi is the best because it has essential protein and calcium that help to build strong muscles and bones."

Nestle says Maggi Noodles with protein and calcium provide 20% of the recommended daily allowance for the nutrients as set out by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation and the World Health Organisation, both recognised by the Bangladesh Government.

The ASA says it is concerned that the Bangladeshi TV station broadcast the adverts in the UK without the manufacturers' knowledge or consent which were spotted by its staff as part of "pro-active monitoring work to protect consumers from misleading or harmful advertising".

The ASA says the health and nutritional claims made by GSK and Nestle may be allowed in other parts of the world, but they breach the strict rules in the UK and they say they have seen no evidence to substantiate them.