SCOTLAND’S healthy eating quango has amended a controversial television advert aimed at combating diabetes following complaints it could mislead viewers.
Advertising watchdogs are now investigating after the “appalling” and “terribly informed” advert was aired earlier this week.
Food Standards Scotland (FSS) launched a new campaign on Monday urging parents to cut back on their children’s unhealthy snacking.
By Joe Stenson
One of the ads features a girl being fed chocolate by her mother and telling viewers that when she is older being overweight means she will be “more likely to get diabetes”.
But the quango has suffered a huge backlash from Type 1 diabetics and their parents saying the advert stigmatises those with their condition, which is unrelated to diet.
Now the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is investigating the FSS, which has been forced to amend the inaccurate advert.
The series of anti-snacking adverts each features a parent and child, with the parent feeding the youngster unhealthy snacks to coax them into talking to the viewer.
When they speak they tell the viewer the various consequences that being overweight will have on them when they are older.
Soon after they aired, complaints about the mother-daughter advert began pouring in on FSS’s social media pages.
Caroline Heid, the mother of an eight-year-old Type 1 diabetic, branded the advert “appalling.” She added: “It beggars belief it was even made. To lump all those conditions together was bad enough, but to see a child my daughter’s age saying those things was highly offensive and heartbreaking.
“What are people going to think when she says she’s diabetic if this campaign goes ahead? And during hypos I have to feed her sugar, how do I explain that?
“A totally utterly pointless campaign that will cost a fortune, lead to misinformation, eating disorders, more stigma and will not change eating habits one single bit.”
An amended advert was aired on Wednesday, featuring a small print asterisk with a caption that appears when the girl speaks. It reads: “Refers to Type 2 diabetes.”
Rupert Pigot, spokesman for the Scottish branch of Diabetes UK, said: “Thousands of adults and children across Scotland are living with Type 1 diabetes, an auto- immune condition that is not currently preventable and is not caused by being overweight or eating too many sweets.
“People with all types of diabetes have to live with a misinformed stigma surrounding their condition and its cause, which can be upsetting and frustrating.
“Diabetes is a serious and complex condition and it’s important to be specific, particularly about type of diabetes, when we discuss it.”
A spokeswoman for FFS admitted the distinction between the causes of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes “was not made clear in the TV advert in question”. She added: “A subtitle was then added to the advert to make it clear the girl is referring to Type 2 diabetes.”
“In response to comments from members of the public with type one diabetes, or who have family or friends with type one, we replied directly or via our social media pages to advise of the action taken.
“Our campaign website also refers to type two, and directs consumers to the Diabetes UK website for further information. We believe that the actions taken eliminate the potential for confusion.”
The ASA said: “We have received two complaints about the FSS ad and we are looking into it.”
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