Costa coffee machine ASA

Costa argued it was not suggesting consumers should make a definitive choice between two breakfast items.

Costa has been rapped by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for a radio advert it ruled discouraged customers from choosing fruit or vegetables for breakfast.

The coffee chain emphasised the convenience-led aim of its Coffee Plus breakfast menu by comparing it to ripen-at-home avocados. The advert featured a voiceover which said: “Oh, there’s a great deal on ripen-at-home avocados. Sure, they’ll be hard as rock for the first 18 days, three hours and 20 minutes, then they’ll be ready to eat, for about 10 minutes, then they’ll go off. For a better deal head to Costa Coffee and grab a delicious, piping hot bacon roll or egg muffin for just £2 when you buy any medio or massimo hot drink or flat white before 11am.”

The UK code of broadcast advertising (BCAP) outlines that comparisons between foods must not discourage the selection of options such as fresh fruit and vegetables.

Costa argued its ad focused on the “frustration and unpredictability” associated with the avocado, adding that it had become a popular breakfast item. It also said consumers had shared “comical anecdotes” regarding the issue of ripening avocados, as they struggled to agree on how to ripen the fruit or the best time to consume it.

Read more: M&S rapped over Christmas dinner comparison ad

The coffee chain argued it was not suggesting listeners should make a definitive choice between two breakfasts but highlighting its promotional offer.

Radio industry body Radiocentre agreed with this position, arguing it was unlikely the majority of consumers would see the advert as a serious comparison and conclude bacon rolls or egg muffins were a better nutritional choice than avocados. It said consumers would regard the comparison as a light-hearted remark about the common experience of buying avocados when compared to buying an instant hot coffee and bacon roll or egg muffin.

Radiocentre added that the words “better deal” featured in the ad were used in context of the price promotion Costa was offering.

But the ASA concluded that although the ad was light-hearted, it nevertheless suggested avocados were a poor breakfast choice, adding that consumers would interpret the ad as a comparison. It particularly noted the positive language used to describe Costa’s own breakfast items in contrast with how the avocado was portrayed.

It therefore ruled the advert breached the BCAP code as it discouraged the selection of fresh fruit. The ASA banned the advert for discouraging the selection of avocados, ruled it should not be broadcast again in its current form, and ordered Costa to ensure its future adverts do not “condone or encourage poor nutritional habits”.

A spokeswoman for Costa told The Grocer the advert was “playful and light-hearted” in tone, and said it was not Costa’s intention to “suggest listeners make a serious comparison” between two breakfast items. “While we’re disappointed with the outcome of the ruling, we respect the ASA’s decision and the ad is no longer running,” she said.