Pioneer Foods ordered to scrap Liqui Fruit’s “Nothing But Fruit” slogan after consumer complaints. Image Credit: carve.africa
(The Post News) – The Advertising Regulatory Board (ARB) has ordered Pioneer Foods to amend or remove its “Nothing But Fruit” slogan for its Liqui Fruit products, ruling that the phrase is misleading to consumers. The directive comes after the ARB reviewed complaints that the branding creates a false impression about the product’s ingredients.
After reviewing the complaint, the ARB cleared claims such as “100% fruit juice blend” and “100% fruit juice.” However, the committee found the “Nothing” part of the Liqui Fruit slogan problematic, arguing that it implies “the absence of anything else,” which is deceptive because the product contains additives.
Other trademarks were upheld, as they comply with South African food regulations, which allow additives in long-life juices to maintain nutritional quality, provided they are listed on the packaging. The ARB noted that the “100% fruit” aspect is not misleading since it does not falsely suggest that the juice contains nothing but fruit in the way the slogan implies.
Despite Pioneer Foods’ appeal, which argued the slogan was not meant to be taken literally and pointed out that ingredients are listed on the packaging, the ARB ruled that the trademark must be removed from all Liqui Fruit branding.
In addition, the ARB instructed Pioneer Foods to revise the claim that Liqui Fruit juice is “sourced from local farms,” after it emerged that not all ingredients are locally procured.
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