The ‘Let’s Eat Balanced’ dairy and red meat campaign from the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) will return following a 14-month investigation by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

ASA opened the investigation following a complaint that was submitted by TV presenter Chris Packham, which covered four issues spanning a range of adverts, including those shown on national television.

AHDB confirmed that the only part of the complaint to be upheld related to a technical footnote in two specific print newspaper adverts, but maintained that all information shared with consumers was supported by “robust scientific evidence”.

Two newspaper adverts compared the carbon footprint of UK dairy and beef production with the global average, and the ASA concluded that because the life cycle assessments misrepresented emissions from cradle to retail, the adverts should have specified the limitation more clearly.

Under ASA rules, environmental claims must reflect full life cycle (cradle to disposal) emissions or clearly state where data boundaries end.

In its ruling, the ASA stated: “While we acknowledged the potential difficulties in producing post-retail emissions data, the claims in the ads suggested those emissions were included and we therefore expected the evidence provided to also include them.”

 ASA said the ads “must not appear again” in the form complained of, and told AHDB to ensure that the claims were appropriately explained and supported to “avoid misleading”.

AHDB highlights importance of promoting British dairy

AHDB’s director of communications and market development, Will Jackson, commented: “Let’s Eat Balanced is doing what it was designed to do, providing clear, factual, evidence-led information about British food, nutrition and farming standards.

“Since the investigation began, we have conducted independent consumer research which found that the majority of respondents interpreted these adverts as relating to the production phase only, from farm to retail.

“This research provides important insight into consumer understanding and supports our belief that consumers were not misled by the information we shared in these two specific adverts.”

AHDB said it had engaged “constructively and transparently” throughout the process, providing scientific evidence to support its claims.

“This ruling shows that the campaign’s core claims were robust and therefore upheld.”

Jackson added: “We have a responsibility to provide the public and policymakers with clear, factual, independent information about British food.

“This ruling shows that the campaign’s core claims were robust and therefore upheld. AHDB stood firmly behind the evidence, and subsequently British beef, lamb and dairy production have been represented responsibly and fairly.

“We understand Chris Packham has a passion for campaigning to protect the environment, and he can be reassured by this ruling that the information we share with consumers is supported by sound science.

“The Let’s Eat Balanced campaign promotes a healthy, balanced diet with the Government’s Eatwell guide at its foundation. We are proud to be able to highlight the role lean red meat and dairy can play in complementing plant-rich foods on behalf of levy payers, many of whom are farmers.

“The campaign is about nutrition, provenance and farming standards – not environmental superiority. We are pleased to confirm Let’s Eat Balanced will return this autumn.”