Weight loss business rebuked for "irresponsible" ads

A weight loss business based in Crewe has been reprimanded by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for its “irresponsible” adverts.

All About W8, previously known as Weight-Matters, ran ads for its low calorie diet in the national and regional Press that claimed users could lose three to four stone in 12 weeks.

The ASA investigated after receiving a complaint from LighterLife UK, a rival weight loss business based in Essex.

It found that the ads were in breach of the code of advertising and sales promotion, known as the CAP Code, because they claimed people could lose precise amounts of weight within a set period.

The ASA also said the ads were irresponsible because they encouraged a rate of weight loss that might be damaging to health and did not, “state prominently that all consumers should seek medical advice before embarking on a very low calorie diet”. 

All About W8 said its programme was safe and successful but it was unaware that advertising could not state that people could lose precise amounts of weight within a specific period. The company has since removed the claim from its promotional material.