Background
Problem Food Claims: Skinny Coffee Club breaks UK Ad Rules by making unauthorised health claims on its website skinnycoffeeclub.com.
After reviewing the website this entry has been reissued on 28 March 2024 as, despite some amendments, Skinny Coffee Club (SSC) continues to make claims that break the rules.
Section 15 of the CAP Code states that only health claims listed as “authorised” on the GB Register of Nutrition and Health claims are permitted in marketing communications. In order to comply, an advertiser needs to show that the specific health claims for each of their advertised products are listed as authorised on the GB Register and that the authorised claims relate to the relevant ingredient/s in the product. Similarly, any claim that states or implies that a food has particular beneficial nutritional properties because of its ingredients must comply with the criteria set out in the Annex to the GB Register.
The website www.skinnycoffeeclub.com makes a number of unauthorised health claims for food supplements including “Boosts Your Energy Levels” and “Feel Lighter and Less Bloated”. The original 28 day weight loss Instant Edition webpage also included the claims “94% lost weight fast”, “92% seen visible results”, “97% had increased energy levels”, “92% had an improved complexion”, and “97% reduced bloating fast”.
SCC state and imply that they provide coffee that aids weight loss. The ingredients within the Instant Edition product are not listed on the GB Register as authorised for the claimed effects, and as such, amount to unauthorised health claims. Therefore, the health claims should not be made for the Skinny Coffee Club coffee.
Section 15 of the CAP Code also states that health claims that refer to a rate or amount of weight loss are not acceptable in marketing communications for food supplements.
The website also contains before and after images which refer to a specific amount of weight loss within a certain timeframe. As the product is a food supplement, health claims that refer to a rate or amount of weight loss breach the Code.
Despite repeated requests from the CAP Compliance team, Skinny Coffee Club continues to advertise problematic health claims and weight loss claims on its website, www.skinnycoffeeclub.com.
Due to Skinny Coffee Club Ltd’s non-compliance and disregard for the CAP Code, the CAP Compliance team took the decision to reissue its company details on this section of the ASA website on 28 March 2024. These details shall remain in place until Skinny Coffee Club removes the claims outlined above from its website, www.skinnycoffeeclub.com.
