Advertising of Dietary Supplements and Slimming Products

Internet advertising is self-regulated through the Advertising Standards Authority's (ASA's) Code of Practice. This states that adverts must be Legal, Decent, Honest and Truthful.

The ASA can take action to have an advert withdrawn or changed without having to wait for a complaint.

The following rules are specifically for food supplements and slimming products but the Code also contains general requirements applicable to all adverts or promotions. The ASA Codes can be viewed at www.asa.org.uk

Vitamins, minerals and other food supplements

• Advertisers should hold scientific evidence for any claim that their product is beneficial to health. When assessing claims the ASA will consider recommendations made by bodies such as the Department of Health
• Advertisers may offer vitamin and mineral supplements to certain groups as a safeguard to help maintain good health but should not imply that they can be used to prevent or treat illness, elevate mood or enhance normal performance.
• Only certain groups of people are potentially at risk of deficiency and may be safeguarded by vitamin and mineral supplementation. Products must be appropriate and adverts should specify which group they are addressing when claiming or implying that health may be maintained. The groups include:
  • people who eat nutritionally inadequate meals
  • the elderly
  • children and adolescents
  • convalescents
  • athletes in training or others who are physically very active
  • women of child-bearing age
  • lactating and pregnant women
  • people on restricted dietary regimes
  • people on restricted food/energy diets (eg vegans)
• Self -medication should not be promoted on the basis that it will influence the speed or extent of recovery.

Slimming products

• Any claims made for the effectiveness or action of a slimming method or product should be backed where appropriate by rigorous practical trials on people; testimonials that are not supported by trials do not constitute substantiation.
• Adverts for any slimming regime or establishment should neither be directed at, nor contain anything that will appeal particularly to people who are under 18.
• Obesity requires medical intervention and treatments for it should not be advertised to the public unless they are to be used under qualified supervision.
• Adverts should not suggest that it is desirable to be underweight.
• Before claims are made that weight or inch loss can be achieved by expelling water, speeding up the metabolism, using mechanical devices, wearing garments or applying substances to the skin, they must be substantiated with scientific evidence of the method's effect on people. Combining a diet with an unproven weight loss method does not justify making slimming claims for the method.
• Advertisers should be able to show that their diet plans are nutritionally well balanced. This will be assessed in relation to the kind of subjects who would be using them.
• Vitamins and minerals do not contribute to weight loss, but may be offered to slimmers as a safeguard against any shortfall when dieting.

Advertisers promoting Very Low Calorie Diets and other diets that fall below 800 calories a day should do so only for short term use and should encourage users to take medical advice before embarking on them.

Adverts for diet aids should make clear how they work. Prominence must be given to the role of the diet and adverts should not give the impression that dieters cannot fail or can eat as much as they like and still lose weight.

Adverts should not contain general claims that precise amounts of weight can be lost within a stated period or that weight can be lose from specific parts of the body. Claims that individuals have lost exact amounts of weight should be compatible with good medical and nutritional practice, should give details of the time period involved and should not be based on unrepresentative experiences.

Both physical and passive exercise improves muscle tone slowly and this can have an effect on body shape. An improvement in posture may also benefit the figure. Advertisers should be able substantiate any claims that such methods used alone or in conjunction with a diet plan can lead to weight or inch loss. Adverts for intensive exercise programmes should encourage users to check with a doctor before starting.

Short-term loss of girth may be achieved by wearing a tight-fitting garment. This should not be portrayed as permanent, nor should it be confused with weight loss.

Enforcement action

If you make any claims that you cannot substantiate they you may also be liable to prosecution by Trading Standards Departments/Consumer Protection Departments under the Trade Descriptions Act 1968.

Labelling requirements

The labelling of dietary supplements and slimming products are controlled as any other food under the Food Labelling Regulations.

Please Note

This leaflet is not an authoritative interpretation of the law and is intended only for guidance. For further information please contact your local Consumer Protection or Trading Standards office.

Trading Standards Division, 3rd Floor, Wallasey Town Hall, Brighton Street, Wallasey, Wirral CH44 8ED
Telephone: (0151) 691 8020    Fax: (0151) 691 8098
Internet World Wide Web http://www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/wirral/
Electronic Mail: tradingstandards@wirral.gov.uk