A UK ad for Special K Multi Grain Porridge has been banned by the advertising watchdog after PepsiCo questioned Kellogg‘s claims the product contained 30% less fat than rival lines.

Citing EU regulations on nutrition and health claims, Kellogg said its assertion was valid. The company said it had compared the Special K porridge to a range of foods in the same category. Kellogg said its claim “had been calculated” when the Special K product and other porridges were dry rather than in their prepared state. Consumers, Kellogg said, “prepared porridge in different ways, including differing portion sizes, and using milk or water”.

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However, after complaints from PepsiCo and others, the Advertising Standards Authority said it had not seen evidence from Kellogg that the products it selected to compare were representative of the category.

“The comparative claim was based on the fat content of Special K porridge and the comparator products when they were dry and therefore cannot be consumed as porridge,” the ASA said. As a result the watchdog ruled the claim was in breach of regulations.

A spokesperson for Kellogg told just-food today (10 September) the decision was “disappointing”.

“The fact remains that Special K Multi-Grain Porridge is at least 30% lower than the average fat content of the leading porridges and contains vitamins and iron.

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“We are committed to self-regulation and we will amend the advertisement. However, we believe that this decision makes it extremely difficult for companies to make lower fat, salt or sugar claims. We compared Special K Multi-Grain porridge with the top 75% of porridges sold in the UK, which goes further than EU legislation.”