Bakers Delight ad promoting bread rolls topped with M&Ms as kids’ lunch slated by ad watchdog
An ad from Bakers Delight promoting bread rolls sprinkled with M&Ms as a lunchbox choice for schoolkids has been banned by the advertising watchdog for promoting unhealthy options for children.
A Bakers Delight billboard ad featured three product images including a white roll with bacon and cheese, a cheese and Vegemite scroll and four white finger buns with M&Ms sprinkled on top. The accompanying copy read “School lunches? Problem solved”
Another ad used at local franchises of the bakery suggested parents used the M&Ms snack to “make their day”.
A complaint to the Ad Standards Board said: “Advertising of lolly’s on bread for school lunches is appalling. Lunch and healthy food choices is challenging enough for most families and to have this as an acceptable choice is unfathomable.
“A company that promotes bread as sugar free this is a disgrace. This is only contributing to the childhood diabetes and obesity epidemic that we have in Australia.”
The bakery defended the ad, claiming the targeted audience was parents, not children themselves.
“It is intended to target busy parents during the back to school rush period, to encourage them to consider Bakers Delight in their purchasing decisions,” the company said in a response to the ASB.
It added: “It is our intention to promote this product as a limited time only treat for occasional eating.”
Although the ad was ruled not to breach provisions under the advertising code covering the specific targeting of children, the ASB upheld the complaint, saying:
“The Board noted the complainant’s concerns the product being advertised – a mini finger bun with M&M’s on top is an unhealthy food option that should not be promoted as a lunch box solution.
“In the majority view, the Board considered this advertisement’s text and image amount to a message that is undermining the promotion of healthy balanced diets in relation to school lunches by strongly suggesting that a scroll and finger bun is a complete lunch box.”
Abigail Dawson was Mumbrella's senior content journalist covering event content. She left Mumbrella to move into an agency role in 2020.
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Keep digging bakers delight!
Terrible justification.
Parents are the primary dietary decision maker for kids, targeting them is just as bad.
What a terrible lunch box for the youth of Australia.
Cheesy bread rolls and m&m bun, barf.
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“This is only contributing to the childhood diabetes and obesity epidemic”
The phrase ‘Childhood diabetes’ is associated with Type 1, although Type 2 is increasing in younger people due to poor diets, the phrase ‘childhood diabetes’ makes it seem like you are referring to Type 1, which is never, and has never been, associated with diet or lifestyle, it is 100% an autoimmune condition.
Type 1 kids don’t need vaguely worded statements like this adding to the stigma that they face every day with people implying or outright telling them that they are to blame for their condition, which they most certainly are not.
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Am I the only one that find this ruling a bit ridiculous?
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They ARE NOT bread rolls.
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Thanks for making it known that they have cheese & vegemite scrolls on offer at the moment, guess my adult dinner is sorted tonight.
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Surely a bakery is allowed to promote the fact they sell baked goods?
This is ridiculous.
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While childhood obesity is a real and serious issue, it does seem like only a small hop to making alcohol, confectionary or softdrinks advertising illegal because it can lead to… “undermining the promotion of healthy balanced diets”
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Yes, of course they should be allowed to advertise it.
And yes, of course, anyone in their right mind should think twice before purchasing at Baker’s Delight after them having shown such poor judgement with the creation of such a product.
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Yes.
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You are the only one.
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Yes as part of a balanced diet they’re fine… oh but you can only buy them in a pack of FOUR.
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Yes.
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No…ummm…yes.
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Political correctness gone mad. Parents are ultimately responsible for what children eat or not eat, nor is an occasional chocolate laden piece of bread going to be contribute to childhood obesity. （Parents spending the time to give kids an active lifestyle on the other hand…) Do the complainers not have a childhood that now they would want to force it on everyone else?
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Yes. It is completely justified.
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This is not a case of political correctness. This is the case of possibly saving a life. Sugar is as addictive as cocaine. We need to ban the stuff not promote it.
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Um, no you are not. Apparently as a consumer I am considered too stupid to work out that these are not healthy all by myself. Good grief.
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Whilst you might be able to make rational, intelligent decisions, many, (perhaps half?) of the Australian populace are truly unable to do so. Marketing is propaganda and if an advert says ‘eat me’, people will. Remember that we have to put stickers on bleach bottles, which read: ‘do not drink’…
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Re soft drinks.
Doesn’t alcohol have to have RSA related messaging?
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