An advert promoting Sainsbury’s infant formula has been prohibited by the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), sparking discussions on advertising regulations for infant products.
- The banned advertisement was an influencer’s Instagram post containing an affiliate link to Sainsbury’s infant formula.
- UK advertising regulations strictly prohibit the marketing of infant formula, which the ASA emphasised was breached in this case.
- The ASA criticised the post for not clearly indicating its commercial nature, thus misleading consumers.
- The incident raises broader questions about the rules on infant formula advertising and its market implications.
In a significant move by the UK’s advertising watchdog, an advertisement featuring Sainsbury’s infant formula has been banned for non-compliance with national regulations. The advertisement in question was an Instagram story by influencer Kayleigh Johnson, which included an affiliate link to the product on Sainsbury’s website. The post asked followers about their plans for breastfeeding, subtly promoting the use of specific formula milk, thereby breaching UK advertising guidelines.
The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) reaffirmed that marketing for infant formula is strictly prohibited under current advertising codes. This regulation aims to prevent the commercial promotion of formula milk to protect breastfeeding rates, aligning with public health policies that endorse breastfeeding as the preferable choice for infant feeding when possible. The ASA highlighted that the influencer’s post lacked clear labelling to denote it as a marketing communication, thus obscuring its commercial intent and potentially misleading consumers.
This case underscores ongoing debates regarding the advertisement of infant formula in the context of rising product costs. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) had recently highlighted that strict marketing restrictions might be contributing to increased prices for these essential products. The regulatory landscape has faced scrutiny from various stakeholders, including calls for legislative reform to allow certain promotional activities, such as price reductions. Previously, limitations were placed on purchasing infant formula with loyalty points or gift vouchers, reflecting broader policy efforts to regulate promotional tactics within this sensitive market sector.
The prohibition of the Sainsbury’s infant formula advertisement exemplifies the stringent enforcement of UK’s advertising rules, spotlighting the complexities surrounding infant product marketing.
