WWF criticised for food advertising campaign
Howard Lake | 7 August 2002 | News
The Worldwide Fund for Nature campaign against chemicals in food has been branded “alarmist” by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).
The press advertising campaign aimed to highlight over 300 man-made chemicals which “contaminate” our bodies.
The advert’s headline “Who cares where toxic chemicals end up?” was accompanied by a photo of a foetus. The ASA judged that the advert could “unduly alarming” to couples planning to have a baby and to mothers with young children.
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The Daily Mail’s You magazine had already dropped the ads in response to complaints. Organisations such as the British Association for Chemical Specialities and the Chemical Industries Association had both complained about the adverts.
The decision by the ASA followed several months of deliberation.
Read Watchdog rebukes WWF for ‘alarmist’ food ad by Claire Cozens at SocietyGuardian.
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.