ASA said 10 people had complained that three social media ads misled customers to believe that the burger joint's plant-based burger was vegan and vegetarian-appropriate.
An ad campaign for Burger King's first plant-based burger has been banned for misleading customers into thinking it was suitable for vegetarians and vegans, despite being cooked with meat and including egg-based mayonnaise.
The Miami-headquartered fast-food chain launched its 'Rebel Whopper' burger in January, running Twitter and Facebook ads that touted the patty's plant-based credentials using a sticker that stated '100 per cent Whopper. No Beef' and, in some cases, with a ‘Vegetarian Butcher' logo.
The Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) banned the ads this week, explaining that it had received multiple complaints from customers who felt the ads were misleading for vegetarians, vegans, and those with egg allergies.
While the Rebel Whopper's patty is indeed soy-based, it is cooked on the same grill as Burger King's meat offerings, and accompanied by an egg-based mayonnaise, making it unsuitable for strict vegetarians and vegans.
Burger King countered that the adverts' small print clarified that the product was not suitable for vegetarians and vegans, and said customers who did not want mayonnaise could ask for it to be excluded. The firm said the product had no beef and had been supplied by plant-based food company the Vegetarian Butcher, but conceded the Vegetarian Butcher label had been removed from television ads on account of being "potentially misleading".
The ASA ruled that the ads' claims would encourage consumers to think that the products did not contain any beef or animal products. Moreover, it said that "the presence of the "Vegetarian Butcher" logo, the green colour palette and the timing of the ad and product release to coincide with Veganuary contributed further to the impression that the product was suitable for vegans and vegetarians".
It warned the fast food giant to not "misleadingly imply that a product was suitable for vegans and vegetarians if it was not."
The Vegetarian Butcher, a Netherlands-based company that sells products like 'nochicken nuggets' and 'vegetarian nomeatballs' to healthfood shops and Waitrose, was acquired by Uniliver last year - one of a series of moves by corporates scrambling to tap the fast-growing meat substitutes market.
Plant-based alternatives are becoming increasingly common in fast-food joints, supermarkets, and restaurants as an increasing number of consumers ditch meat for ethical, environmental or health reasons. A report published by the Veganuary campaign in February revealed that KFC said it sold one million vegan burgers in January and Pizza Hut saw vegan pizza sales double.
High street bakery chain Greggs intends to roll out a Vegan steak bake across all its outlets in the UK this year following the huge success of its vegan sausage roll in 2019.
But the latest ruling highlights how any business offering meat-free products need to be careful how they communicate their vegetarian and vegan credentials.
