Iceland has bread advert banned

Iceland has had one of its bread adverts banned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) after a complaint it misled the public.

The advert featured a windmill and a man dressed as a baker making the bread by hand and loading it into a brick oven. The man also stated the bread contained “the best wheat, sourdough, water, salt and an amount of yeast”.

The ASA launched an investigation in May after a complaint by the Real Bread Campaign, which argued the advert misled viewers because Iceland’s bread was factory-produced and contained more ingredients than stated.

The ASA has now ruled the advert did breach advertising rules about the manufacture and ingredients of the bread and warned Iceland not to state or imply in future campaigns its products involved fewer processes or ingredients than was the case.

Chris Young, campaign coordinator for the Real Bread Campaign, said: “This ASA decision is great news for shoppers seeking an honest loaf of real bread and for the independent, local bakeries employing genuine artisan bakers who really do make fresh, additive-free loaves by hand.”