Warrens 'oldest Cornish pasty maker' boast backed

Warrens could not prove it was established in 1860 but a watchdog said consumers had not been misled

A bakery has been cleared to continue calling itself the "oldest Cornish pasty maker in the world".

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) investigated the claim by Cornwall-based Warrens after a challenge from one person.

Warrens sent photos and testimonials to the ASA showing the bakery had been in business since 1873, 76 years before its competitors.

But it was unable to prove it started in 1860, as it claims.

Family firm Warrens employs 440 people in shops and bakeries across the south west of England

The ASA said: "We noted that Warrens Bakery were able to provide evidence to show that the brand had a long and established heritage, and we understood that the bakery had been founded at least 76 years before any of their trading competitors.

"Because of that, we considered that the claims were unlikely to mislead a consumer regarding the heritage of the brand or encourage them to make a purchase that they would not have made, had they been aware that the earliest official record of the bakery that Warrens Bakery held was dated 1873, not 1860.

"Therefore, we concluded that the claims were not misleading."

The ASA ruled no further action was necessary.