Landmark ruling for farming as AHDB's “We Eat Balanced” complaints rejected by UK advertising watchdog

18 Aug 2021 --- Complaints about the UK’s Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board’s (AHDB) 'We Eat Balanced' advertising campaign have not been upheld by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) in an important ruling for British farming.

The £1.5 million (US$2 million) campaign, which ran across TV, print and social media during January and February, reached up to 18.5 million people.

Key messages around naturally occurring Vitamin B12 and how red meat and dairy production in the UK is amongst the most sustainable globally aimed to remind consumers of the role red meat and dairy play in a balanced diet.

In January, AHDB launched the campaign to remind consumers of meat and dairy's important role in a balanced diet.

Farming’s role in diet 
However, 487 complained about the campaign prompting an ASA examination. Three issues were investigated, all of which were not upheld.

 “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. We work hard to ensure our campaigns are robust and evidence-based,” says AHDB’s chief communications and market development officer, Christine Watts.

“We are delighted with the ASA’s ruling and are grateful for the careful consideration they gave to all the points which were raised.”

“We are now focused on preparing for the next stage of our campaign, which will launch later this year, tapping into consumer trends around diet, health and environmental sustainability.”

The 'We Eat Balanced' campaign has been nominated for The Food and Drink Federation's 'Campaign of the Year' award.

What was the campaign about?
A large banner ad on a website featured the headline “TO B12 OR NOT TO B12?” against a backdrop of pieces of meat and peppers. Further text stated, “Beef, pork, lamb and milk contain vitamin B12, an essential nutrient not naturally present in the vegan diet. Click to discover more”. 

Logos for the “Eat Balanced” campaign, the ADHB, and Red Tractor Certified Standards appeared in the bottom right corner, and small print text stated, “Enjoy as part of a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle.”

The TV ad began with a scene of an empty Central London street followed by a close-up of metal shutters of a closed store and then green open fields featuring tractors and cows grazing and an open field containing shelters for pigs, with a voiceover that stated, “We’ve all got a lot on our plates right now, but here’s something you’ll want to make room for. The story of a food so natural, it takes the rain from the sky and plants we humans cannot eat and turns it into something wonderful.” 

Rain falling on long blades of grass appeared on-screen. Superimposed text later in the ad stated, “Red meat and dairy are a source of B12 and protein … B12 helps reduce tiredness and fatigue. Protein contributes to the maintenance of normal bones.”

Health & sustainability 
From its tracking work, AHDB knows many consumers are continuing to re-evaluate their food choices. Despite lockdown easing, health and sustainability remain front of mind for the consumer for the near future.

Watts explains how, as is often the case with such a high-profile campaign, it “unfortunately attracted some negative attention.”

“We work hard to ensure our marketing campaigns are robust and underpinned by evidence. We Eat Balanced emerged from consumer research to uncover which messages would get the most traction with our target audience. This resulted in our January campaign and its TV advert – which was no small feat as this had to be created from our homes during lockdown,” she explains.

“We actively worked with industry, retailers and our levy-payers to deliver the messages across multiple platforms - especially social media, which is where consumers increasingly turn to for information - and the end result was a positive attitudinal shift.”

By Gaynor Selby