Special K advert banned over calorie count

An advert for the breakfast cereal Special K has been banned after it was found to mislead women about the number of calories in a typical bowl.

Manufacturer Kellogg's was rapped by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) because the advert boasted that a bowl of Special K contained just 114 calories - but failed to account for those in the milk.

The advert featured women preparing breakfast while a voice-over said: "We women know how to get the most out of mornings", before a close-up of milk being poured over a bowl of Special K.

Text on screen explained that a bowl of the cereal included 114Kcal and 0.6g fat per 30g serving, but a complaint was made to the ASA because it failed to include the calories for the milk.

Kellogg's argued that not everyone ate cereal with milk, with many people preferring it dry or with yoghurt or orange juice, and said the different kinds of milk meant there would be different calorie levels.

But the ASA ruled the advert was misleading and that it should have made clear that the calorie count did not include milk.

The ASA ordered that the advert be banned and that Kellogg's clarifies whether or not calorie claims include milk in similar adverts.

PA