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F&B ad complaints in Singapore surged by 38.4%
The industry received 36 complaints in 2022, up from 26 in 2021.
The complaints about food and beverage (F&B) advertisements lept by 38.4% in 2022 compared to 2021, making it the most complained about industry in Singapore last year, the Advertising Standards Authority of Singapore (ASAS) said.
ASAS received 36 feedback in 2022 for F&B, followed by 35 for Restaurants, 25 for Electrical and Electronics, 21 in Health, and 18 in Entertainment.
The feedback includes requests for advertising advice and complaints that are consumer-to-business, government-to-business, or business-to-business in nature.
The most common complaints for the F&B industry are about promotions that were not honoured when consumers sought to purchase. 20 feedback were about concerns on food items that did not match the advertisements or menus in appearance, price, quantity or size.
One example that ASAS mentioned is an incident with a roast meat chain that stated on the storefront signage at one of its outlets that their platters included rice when they no longer did so.
“Menus often influence a consumer’s decision to purchase food and beverages. Rising costs are not an excuse for businesses to not update their advertisements and point-of-sale materials in a timely fashion and thus misleading consumers. Relying solely on employees to communicate changes in availability and prices is not consistent, reliable or acceptable,” ASAS Chairman Prof. Ang Peng Hwa said. “ASAS will not hesitate to place strict deadlines on businesses that breach the Singapore Code of Advertising Practice (SCAP) to replace their marketing communications.”
The Advertising Standards Authority of Singapore (ASAS) is an Advisory Council to the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE). It was set up in 1976 to promote ethical advertising in Singapore and is the self-regulatory body of the advertising industry. The ASAS Council comprises representatives from advertisers, advertising agencies, government agencies, media owners and other supporting organisations. CASE provides secretarial support for ASAS.
