“Nutritious” Vitaminwater Ad Banned

The U.K. Advertising Standards Authority (the ASA; London) has banned an ad for Vitaminwater, stating that the beverage brand cannot be labeled “nutritious.”

The Vitaminwater ad ran in a U.K. poster campaign with the tag line “enhanced hydration for the nation-delicious and nutritious,” according to the Guardian newspaper.

In response to Vitaminwater owner Coca-Cola’s (Atlanta) contention that “meaningful quantities” of nutrients like vitamin C and B vitamins exist in the beverage, the ASA holds that the slogan is misleading due to 23 g of sugar in each 500-ml bottle.

“The ASA noted that on the basis of a 100ml serving the amount of sugar was ‘relatively low’ compared with some other drinks,” reported the Guardian. “However, it was sold in a 500-ml size-containing more than a quarter of the recommended daily intake of sugar-which consumers would consider to be a single serving.”