Zoe advert featuring Steven Bartlett banned for being ‘misleading’
An advert featuring Dragons’ Den star Steven Bartlett for nutrition brand Zoe has been banned after being ruled to be misleading.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has found against the Facebook advert for Zoe’s Daily30+ supplement which the brand claimed contained “just real food” and “no ultra-processed” ingredients.
The watchdog said the advert, which included a quote from investor Steven Bartlett, was likely to lead to the public interpreting that some of the ingredients as ultra-processed because of the level of processing they required.
Zoe offers health testing and dietary advice services. Steven Bartlett’s Flight Fund invested $2.5m in Zoe in 2023.
Zoe hits back at ASA
The ASA said the complainant, a professor in nutrition and food science, had challenged whether the claim “This is a supplement revolution. No ultra-processed pills, no shakes, just real food” misleadingly implied that the product did not contain any ultra-processed ingredients.
In response, Zoe said the advert did not claim Daily 30+ was not ultra-processed, nor that it did not include any ultra-processed ingredients.
According to the ASA, the company added that it “had been designed to explain that within the supplement category the product, designed as a real food supplement, was not an ultra-processed pill, unlike other supplements that would be considered ultra-processed because they contained artificial flavourings and additives”.
The business also said ‘“wholefood supplement’ was “an accurate description because the product was made of whole foods with no added preservative, sweeteners or flavour enhancers and they were confident their product met the requirement for classification of a supplement”.
Zoe also pointed to the lack of a universally accepted single, legal or scientific established definition of ultra-processed foods.
It added that the advertised product was a combination of 32 different foods, that included vegetables, fruits, seeds and mushrooms, that was put directly onto other food to increase fibre intake.
Zoe co-founder Professor Tim Spector said: “We categorically reject the idea that this advert is misleading, or that Daily30+ – or any of its ingredients – could be classed as ultra-processed.
“The ad clearly states that Daily30+ doesn’t contain ultra-processed pills or shakes. That’s because it doesn’t. It is made entirely from whole food ingredients, and is designed to be added to meals – not taken as a pill or a shake. The claim is factually accurate and irrefutable.”
He added: “We fully stand by Daily30+’s integrity, its health benefits for consumers, and our expertise in nutrition science and improving public health.
“To go after a product that is designed to improve health whilst doing very little about the harmful marketing and advertising of unhealthy junk food to children and vulnerable individuals is nothing short of disgraceful.”
A spokesman for Bartlett said: “For the avoidance of any doubt, this ruling is not against Steven Bartlett whatsoever. The advert was not posted by Steven, nor did it appear on any of his channels. It was posted by Zoe Ltd on their own channel.
“The ASA issued this ruling after receiving a single complaint from a member of the public, and it is directed solely at Zoe Ltd. It is for Zoe Ltd to debate the merits of the ruling.”
Steven Bartlett-backed Zoe slashes losses
The ruling comes after adverts for Zoe and Huel, another company backed by Steven Bartlett, were banned by the ASA in August last year.
The watchdog ruled that they failed to disclose their commercial relationship with the celebrity entrepreneur.
The ASA said the adverts, which were seen on Facebook in February, “omitted material information” about their links to Bartlett.
Steven Bartlett stepped down as a director of Huel earlier this year but remains an investor.
For the year to 31 August, 2024, Zoe posted a revenue of £66.1m, up from the £28.7m it achieved in the prior 12 months.
It also cut its pre-tax loss from £21m to £12.5m over the same period, according to accounts filed with Companies House.