Antitrust has sanctioned many companies for their misleading advertising that on the label the meaning of enriched with… it’s misleading
The advertised products boasted properties beneficial to human health that were not supported by serious scientific studies and in some cases data on reference intake levels were also incorrectly manipulated. Enriched with? poi
The best known case now is that of the commercial of a well-known yogurt that boasted of being almost indispensable to prevent osteoporosis in women; well in this specific case the data had been not little manipulated since. poi
The yogurt case
The advertising message highlighted the insufficient intake of calcium in a large part of the Italian female population, it is based on the results of a single study, moreover carried out on samples of people with peculiar and non-generalisable nutritional needs. In fact, the fact that 2 out of 3 women do not take enough calcium with the diet is “deceptive” and such as to “mislead the average consumer, leading him to believe that there is an acclaimed lack of calcium on a large part of the population” when, however, it is not true. Enriched with? poi
Another reason why the advertisement was “misleading” was in a manipulative attempt to make people believe that the consumption of milk and cheese is not sufficient to guarantee normal calcium requirements, when most scientific studies show that calcium deficiency is for some age groups only mild or very small in scope, and can be safely filled with a varied and balanced diet (“the appropriate calcium intake, as is known, can result from a plurality of foods including the same drinking water”). On the label meaning of enriched with… poi
For these reasons, the Antitrust Authority, in 2012, decided to sanction the producing company with a fine of 180,000 euros. The reason for the judgment is that the advertising message misled the consumer as to the actual need to take on the product. poi
At this point it would be thought that the food companies, having seen the power of antitrust to take certain decisions and apply certain sanctions, no longer used misleading advertising and with unclear content, but this was not the case, after the case of that product, others have spr up concerning products of different categories. poi
After the Antitrust’s intervention
In fact, many products, especially dietary supplements, were passed off as indispensable for a healthy life, boasting energizing skills greater than caffeine or reducing the absorption of sugars or keeping cholesterol under control; but advertising of many mineral waters was also considered incorrect as these guaranteed the prevention of diseases such as cancers on the basis of non-existent scientific studies. Finally, one case that makes one think of the unethical that certain companies have is to advertise food supplements for children, making fun of the maternal instinct of every mother who is willing to do anything to guarantee the best to her child, even spend a lot of money on enriched foods, which were defined as indispensable for proper growth, when instead this defining them indispensable was only a way to sell more easily. poi
From this information you can understand how easy it is to fall into deception by listening exclusively to advertisements, and even if the Antitrust tries to expose all these scams its judgment always comes after these have been partly carried out to the detriment of consumers … poi
So watch out! if you have a doubt write, Contact
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