​ASA Bans Just Eat Advertisement Over Violation

A recent advertisement by the takeaway delivery service Just Eat, featuring McDonald's products, has been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for failing to protect underage audiences adequately. The advert, promoted on Facebook, did not meet the necessary precautions to ensure that it was not directed at children under the age of 16, a violation of the established guidelines for advertising products high in fat, salt, or sugar (HFSS).

The decision to ban the advertisement followed a complaint from Bite Back 2030, a youth activist group advocating against promoting unhealthy foods to young people. The group argued that the advert, which highlighted McDonald's offerings such as McMuffins, McNuggets, and Big Macs, was likely to appeal to children due to its content and the platform on which it was displayed.

The advert, which appeared on Facebook on 15 December 2023, included promotional text encouraging users to order McDonald's meals through Just Eat. The visuals alternated between images of McNuggets and the logos of Just Eat and McDonald's. Just Eat defended the advertisement by asserting that it was targeted at individuals aged 18 and over, utilising Meta's age-targeting tools to ensure it did not reach users under 18.

However, the ASA found that the measures taken by Just Eat were insufficient. Although age-based targeting was applied, the ASA noted that Just Eat had not employed interest-based targeting to exclude further individuals likely to be under 16 from seeing the ad. The ASA concluded that Just Eat had failed to exercise the necessary care to prevent the promotion of HFSS products to a young audience, thereby breaching the Committee of Advertising Practice code.

In response to the ruling, Just Eat expressed disappointment but acknowledged the ASA's concerns. The company stated, "By filtering targeting to users aged over 18, we believe we took reasonable precautions to prevent protected age groups from seeing the advertisement. Although we are disappointed by this outcome, Just Eat acknowledges the ASA's concerns. We are now reviewing our processes to ensure future promotions reach only the intended audience."

This incident underscores the ongoing challenges companies face in ensuring their advertising practices align with regulations designed to protect younger audiences from the influence of junk food marketing.