UK watchdog rejects anti-meat advert

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) featured a picture of a child with a cigar, and read: “You wouldn’t let your child smoke. Like smoking, eating meat increases the risk of heart disease and cancer. Go vegan! PETA”.  ​

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled that the advert was “misleading”,​ because there was not enough proof linking meat consumption to heart disease and cancer.

“We considered that because the ad likened the risks associated with eating any kind of meat to the risks of smoking, consumers would understand from the ad that the connection between eating any kind of meat and the risk of heart disease and cancer had been proven beyond doubt, which was clearly not the case. We therefore concluded that the ad was misleading,”​ it said.

“The ad must not appear again in its current form. We told PETA not to imply that any consumption of meat would raise the risk of heart disease and cancer.”​