Morrisons TV ad too 'unhealthy' for ASA

Supermarket giant Morrisons cannot rebroadcast an advert for burgers after a watchdog ruled that it "condoned poor nutritional habits".

The TV commercial showed a mother preparing a burger for her daughter while they talk about school.

The girl then removes the salad, onion and tomato from the burger and leaves them on the side of her plate.

The Advertising Standards Authority ruled that this "suggested she was not going to eat the salad later".

Eleven people complained about the advert, which was found to have broken two rules in the UK code of broadcast advertising.

The ASA said: "Because we considered the ad placed an emphasis on the burger being the preferable option to the salad, we concluded it condoned poor nutritional habits or an unhealthy lifestyle, especially in children, and that it disparaged good dietary practice."

Morrisons was represented at the hearing by industry body Clearcast, which approved the advertisement before it went on air.

It argued that "the daughter did not look disdainfully at the salad items or make a face that implied she did not like them or would not eat them in the future" and that "it was perfectly feasible that she would return to it later".

This is the first time in two years that an advert has been found to breach healthy eating guidelines.

In 2012, sweet company Swizzels Matlow was forced to remove an online game, following an ASA ruling that it would encourage poor nutritional habits.

Morrisons said it was disappointed with the adjudication