Advertisers should not use unqualified advertising in the future, the Advertising Standards Authority of Ireland (ASAI) has warned, after examining the issues raised in a case involving two rival supermarket companies.
The case dealt with an advertisement by Tesco Ireland which read: "Tesco - biggest buyer of Irish food in the world. Tesco buys £835 million a year from Irish companies, which makes us the biggest buyer of Irish food in the world."
This claim was challenged by Musgrave Ltd and a member of the public. After a prolonged investigation, the ASAI did not uphold their claim, but said it raised complex issues, in particular those related to the designations and definitions used to justify the claim.
An unqualified claim of this nature was, said the ASAI, extremely difficult to justify or to refute, due to the constantly changing nature of the market.
The ASAI asked advertisers to ensure that their claims would remain valid for a reasonable period so that customers were not misled. They also reminded advertisers that documentary evidence must be provided to substantiate all claims.