The distinctive claims made in NutraSweet AG's latest advertising campaign were upheld by the UK's Advertising Standard's Authority in a ruling published today.

The business-to-business press advertisement features the headline "Remember your first taste of NutraSweet?" and goes on to explain that aspartame (NutraSweet) is made from two amino acids, just like those found in nature.

Organix Brands Limited of Dorset, complained that the headline and visual implied that NutraSweet was present in breast-milk and that the text implied that aspartame was a natural substance when it is in fact man made.

Neither complaint was upheld. The ASA accepted that the advertisement stated that the body treats components of aspartame in the same way as other dietary products such as bananas and milk, and that "aspartame is made from things which occur in much larger quantities in other parts of our diet and our bodies digest it completely naturally". The ASA concluded that the text was acceptable. The Authority considered that the text placed the headline and the visual in context and therefore concluded that the advertisement was acceptable.

Hans Heezen, NutraSweet AG's Vice President of Sales & Marketing said "We are very pleased with the ASA's ruling. Aspartame is a unique sweetening ingredient not only because it tastes like sugar but also because it is treated by the body in exactly the same way as other foods."

NutraSweet advertisement

June 1999