Fresher Juice turns out to be not that fresh

CCP issues notice against ad claim of ‘100% pure’.

ISLAMABAD:

The advertisement claim made by Fresher Juice of being “100% pure” is misleading and in violation of the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP).

A CCP bench comprising of Chairperson Rahat Kaunain Hassan and Member Shahzad Ansar issued the order against Al-Hilal industries on Thursday. The Commission had earlier issued a show cause notice to the juice manufacturer for advertising its product Fresher Juice to be “100% pure” while the ingredients printed mentioned included added sucrose and acidulant.

The company admitted to have used fruit pulp reconstituted with water sucrose, acidulants and vitamin C, which contradicts the claim of purity. “The advert misleads consumers into thinking that Fresher Juice is “100% pure” when it is just like any other packaged juice or nectar with additives,” says the CCP statement.

Following the Commission’s show cause notice, the company submitted an undertaking to unconditionally remove the claim of 100% pure from all labels as well as print and electronic advertisements.

As part of the CCP’s crackdown on misleading advertisements by juice companies, the CCP also warned the manufacturer of VIVO Juice, Six-B Food Industries, for advertising “100% fruit inside” while the ingredients at the back of the bottle included sucrose, acidulant, vitamin C, artificial flavour and food colour. Six-B Food industries voluntarily submitted an undertaking on stamp paper regretting the violation and removing the claim of 100% fruit inside from all print and electronic advertisements.

The bench emphasised the need for the undertakings to say what they mean and show what they sell while marketing their products in order to prevent deceptive practices.

Keeping in view the cooperation extended, CCP did not impose any penalty for the committed violation.

However, the undertakings are reprimanded to ensure more responsible behaviour in the future with respect to marketing of their products. It was also held in the order that if there are other undertakings carrying out deceptive marketing of similar nature they need to be proceeded against in order to rectify such conduct; failing which, the Commission shall take a stricter penal action.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 20^th, 2012.