Myprotein rapped by ASA

A MANCHESTER business shortlisted for the Bank of Scotland’s Entrepreneur Challenge competition has been rapped by the Advertising Standards Authority.

Dietary supplements business Myprotein.co.uk has been told not to run an advert again in which it claimed to be Europe’s leading online manufacturer of supplements.

A competitor, East Sussex-based Reflex Nutrition, complained to the ASA arguing that other companies had higher turnovers and that Myprotein did not manufacture its own products.

In a response to the ASA Myprotein said these competitors operated in different markets such as vitamins and minerals, insisting it was a leading business in the sports supplement sector. It conceded some of its manufacturing was outsourced, but only a small proportion of its product range.

The ASA upheld the complaint and said the advert for six of Myprotein’s products was likley to mislead. It said the company must state it operates in the sports supplements market in future advertising and could not say it manufacturered the products in this case because it only made two of the six.

Myprotein was established with £500 four years ago by Oliver Cookson. It now has a turnover of £4.7m and made the regional finals of the Entrepreneur Challenge in November which offered the winning business a £5m interest free overdraft.

Mr Cookson could not be reached for further comment.