Latest news with #AdvertisingStandardsAuthority
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
What is actually in Trip CBD drinks?
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned an ad for Trip drinks following unauthorised claims they can "help you feel calm" and reduce stress and anxiety. The self-proclaimed "No. 1 CBD brand" in the UK has since removed this messaging from its marketing material – which included a statement on its website, seen in December, about how the drinks could be used to help people "unwind when work is over" or could be consumed in the morning "before a long day." The brand also claimed that its blend of ingredients – including magnesium citrate – "has been crafted for calm." Following an investigation, which examined complaints over three key issues, the watchdog concluded that the messaging around certain health claims were "not authorised." Yahoo UK has contacted Trip for comment. View this post on Instagram A post shared by TRIP (@ So, what is in Trip? Depending on the flavour, the ingredients vary from drink to drink. However, the base ingredients in all flavours are: Sparkling water Fruit juices from concentrate Flavour enhancers Botanical extracts L-theanine CBD extract Citric acid Sweetener Soya Some blends, such as the raspberry orange blossom and chamomile drink, also include magnesium citrate (according to its site, one 250ml can contains 24mg). Magnesium citrate, specifically, can help relieve constipation by increasing the amount of water your intestines absorb. The mineral magnesium, meanwhile, is important for bodily function and contributes towards healthy nerves, muscles, bones and cardiovascular system. It has also been linked to improved sleep and reduced anxiety. As for the CBD extract present in Trip drinks, the brand states that there is 25mg in each can. The rise of CBD products Cannabidiol (CBD) products have become increasingly popular – not just in the UK, but around the world. According to a 2023 report by the Food Standards Agency (FSA), there were 100 CBD products on its public list, on sale across England and Wales – with more than 12,000 CBD products linked to food applications. Samples included everything from sprays and oils, to beverages and even dog treats. CBD doesn't cause a high, though it is a chemical derived directly from the hemp plant. While there are various health claims associated with the active ingredient, further research is needed to determine its benefits and safety. In conjunction with tetrahydrocannabinol (THC, aka, the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis), it is used in medicine to treat multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms. Similarly, there are traces of CBD in certain epilepsy medications, too. Read more about health: Are nicotine pouches as bad as vaping and smoking? (Yahoo Life UK, 6-min read) 11 side-effects of cannabis, as Sadiq Khan calls for partial decriminalisation (Yahoo Life UK, 6-min read) Eight foods that have the additive glycerol in, as experts warn against slushies (Yahoo Life UK, 4-min read)
The Independent
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
The ‘irresponsible' anti-dairy ad banned for causing distress
A vegan charity's advert, which depicted a baby being taken from its mother, has been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority. The 50-second spot from Viva! showed an ominous man taking a baby, telling the distressed mother, "You can't keep your baby because we want your milk." Viva! said the advert, titled "Scary Dairy", was intended to symbolise the unsettling process of dairy calves being separated from their mothers. The ASA deemed the advert "irresponsible" and "insensitive", particularly to those with experience of loss or trauma around parenthood. Watch the video in full above.
ITV News
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- ITV News
Online gambling firm Midnite accused of breaking rules banning adverts that appeal to children
Words by Senior Producer Jack Abbey One of the UK's fastest-growing online gambling companies is being accused of breaching rules designed to protect children in its online advertising and marketing, ITV News has learned. Social media posts made by Midnite are the subject of a complaint made against the company to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). Researchers at the University of Bristol, who submitted the complaint, allege that the posts breach the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) Code, which prohibits gambling marketing from having a "strong appeal to children." They say the social media posts are part of a strategy known as 'content marketing' where companies share material online which doesn't explicitly advertise their product, but which is designed to be shareable and often funny. Whilst the practise itself is not illegal, gambling firms are governed by rules which limit what they can post, including the ban on adverts that appeal to children. Among the content in the complaint made by academics are X posts including pictures and jokes about high-profile footballers such as Harry Kane, Harry Maguire and Jack Grealish. All of those figures are identified in the CAP code as being likely to be of strong appeal to children and effectively banned from appearing in gambling advertising. The nature of content marketing means that none of the figures pictured in the posts are involved with or paid by Midnite. Research done by the Bristol team has shown that content marketing is four times more appealing to children than it is to adults. In total, the posts have been viewed more than 4.5 million times on Midnite's social media channels. One post on X of Harry Maguire's face imposed onto a Brazilian football player has been viewed more than 2.6 million times. The company has 70,000 followers on X and nearly 50,000 on Instagram. "These forms of content marketing obscure the promotional nature of the message and blur the lines between entertainment and advertising for a high-risk product," Dr Raffaello Rossi, one of the lead researchers, said. "These posts appear as entertaining content, making them harder to recognise as gambling promotions and more likely to be shared widely online, especially by children.' Figures from the Gambling Commission published last year show that the number of children experiencing problems with gambling soared to 85,000, more than double the 2023 figure. Midnite is not a high street gambling brand, but it is popular online and growing fast. Started in 2015 in London, it describes itself as an 'e-betting platform' that allows users to place bets on a wide range of subjects, from sports to politics and video games. Earlier this month, Midnite displayed its growing profile by signing a deal to become the Official UK Betting & Casino Partner of the Snooker Halo World Championship and just this week it was announced as the sponsor of the Southampton Football Club training kit. Midnite also stands accused of breaking a CAP Code guideline prohibiting the use of under-25s in gambling advertising for posts using images of Jude Bellingham (21 years old), Erling Haaland (24-years old) and influencer IShowSpeed (20 years old). IShowSpeed in particular has tens of millions of social media followers, and the researchers in their complaint said: "He is widely recognised as a youth influencer and role model, and his inclusion in gambling ads is not only inappropriate under the CAP Code but deeply concerning given his strong resonance with under-18s". This is not the first time Midnite's social media posts have been shown to the ASA. In the complaint, Bristol's researchers list four previous occasions they raised the issue of Midnite and its content marketing, with the first being over a year ago. ITV News has reached out to Midnite for comment but has received no response. The ASA said: "We're aware of the complainant's concerns about 'content marketing' and we've been engaging with them and other stakeholders on the issue in recent months. This is a relatively new form of marketing that raises complex questions around jurisdiction and the boundaries between advertising and editorial content. "We have investigations underway that will bring clarity to these boundary issues. In the meantime, we can confirm that this week, we received a complaint about social media posts by Midnite, and we are currently assessing it to establish what additional action to take."
Telegraph
6 days ago
- Telegraph
Vegan charity depicts baby being taken away from mother in ‘distressing' advert
A vegan charity depicted a human baby being taken from its mother in an advert which has now been banned. The Advertising Standards Authority said the cinema advert by Viva!, which drew on the conventions of horror films, was irresponsible, distressing and likely to cause widespread offence. It would have been particularly distressing for viewers who had experienced the loss of a child, the ASA said. The advert, seen in March and April 2025, featured a mother placing her sleeping baby in a cot while a lullaby played before a silhouetted figure suddenly appeared standing over the infant and the room went dark. The mother switched on a light to reveal a man in a suit running a bottle of milk across the bars of the cot, which was now empty, before he said: 'You can't keep your baby because we want your milk.' The next scene showed a calf in a pen and a voiceover stated: 'Almost every dairy calf is taken from their mother shortly after birth so most of her milk can be sold to us. And what do you think happens to thousands of male babies like this one?' The words 'Dairy is Scary' and the Viva! logo appeared on a black screen accompanied by a loud, metallic noise and the sound of something falling to the floor. The ASA received 25 complaints, including one from The Dairy Council of Northern Ireland, that the advert was irresponsible, distressing - especially to those who had lost a child - and was likely to cause serious or widespread offence. Viva! said it aimed to raise awareness of standard practices in the dairy industry, particularly the removal of calves from their mothers shortly after birth. The charity said the ad was based on factual information and was intended to inform and encourage ethical choices, not to shock. The ASA said viewers would understand that the ad aimed to raise awareness of animal welfare, but said the nature of the comparison was likely to be seen as insensitive by many, and in particular by those with experience of loss or trauma around parenthood. The ASA said: 'Although the ad did not depict the baby being harmed, and it was not shown being physically removed, we considered that its disappearance was likely to be seen as shocking and unsettling. 'We further considered that the statement 'You can't keep your baby', in combination with the sudden disappearance of the baby, was likely to be particularly upsetting for viewers with experience of child loss or fertility issues, in particular because the parallel with dairy industry practices was revealed only in the latter half of the ad. 'We considered that the message of the ad did not justify the distress likely to be caused by the approach, in particular to vulnerable audiences. 'For those reasons, we concluded that the ad was irresponsible and likely to cause unjustified distress and serious and widespread offence.' The ASA ruled that the ad must not appear again in the form complained about, adding: 'We told Viva! to ensure that future ads were prepared responsibly and did not contain content that was likely to cause serious or widespread offence or unjustified distress to viewers.'
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Trip drink ad banned over claim it makes you calm
An advert by Trip drinks has been banned for making unauthorised claims it can "help you feel calm". The ad for the drink, which includes cucumber, mint and magnesium also claimed it could help or reduce stress and anxiety. This was not in line with rules on marketing food or drink ingredients as having health benefits, the advertising watchdog's investigation found. Trip said it had removed the claims while it awaited external advice but hoped to be in a position to make the claims in the future. Trip drinks has tapped in to a burgeoning market for non-alcoholic drinks, advertising widely on social media and positioning itself as a brand that uses ingredients that, it claims, relax people. It calls itself the "UK's No.1 CBD brand". CBD, short for cannabidiol, is an extract of the marijuana plant and is commonly advertised as a relaxant, though it does not induce a "high" like other compounds found in the plant. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) upheld three complaints made against Trip's advert for its cucumber and mint flavoured drink. It appeared on its website in December with the words: "Try me in the morning to help find some calm before a long day, or take a Trip to unwind when work is over." The ASA found the company made a host of claims about its "Mindful Blend" range having "viral ingredients", that were "calming". These included supplements Lion's Mane extract, L-theanine and ashwagandha. The Great Britain nutrition and health claims register sets out which nutrition and health claims are permitted in adverts for food or supplements. These were not permitted, the ASA found. Some of the language used in the advert, such as "crafted for calm" and "simply help you feel calm" would lead consumers to deduce that Trip drinks reduce anxiety, the ASA ruling said. These were implications that were prohibited by the GB register, it said. The watchdog also found the advert's suggestion that the magnesium in the drink could reduce serum cortisol levels breached the code. Cortisol is commonly known as the stress hormone. The ASA also found that Trip's claim of "0g added sugar" were inaccurate and therefore breached the ASA's codes of advertising. The watchdog ruled that the ad must not appear again in the same form, and said it had told Trip not to make claims that its drinks could prevent, treat or cure human disease. Gemma Collins weight-loss drug advert banned Twix ad banned for encouraging unsafe driving
