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ARTICLE · 10 MARCH 2021

ASA Ruling On McDonald's Advert Featuring HFSS Products

Walker Morris
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ITV responded by saying that the film was neither targeted at nor principally directed towards children.

United KingdomMedia, Telecoms, IT, Entertainment
Richard Naish
Richard Naish
James Crayton
James Crayton

An advert on television for a McDonald's beef burger, broadcast on ITV2 at 1:50 pm on a Saturday afternoon during the film Nancy Drew, featured an image of a McDonald's Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese ® burger together with a voiceover. The advert was cleared by Clearcast with an 'ex-kids' scheduling restriction, which meant that it should not be shown in or around programmes made for, or specifically targeted at, children, because it featured a product that was high in fat, salt or sugar (HFSS).

A complaint was made to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) against ITV claiming that the advert for an HFSS product had been broadcast during a programme that was directed at or of particular appeal to children, and therefore it had been inappropriately scheduled.

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