Advertising watchdog rules on clarity, accuracy and substantiation of claims: The Advertising Standards Authority has published two detailed rulings one involving the ‘Red Tractor’ farm assurance scheme and the second advertising for Arial washing powder by Proctor and Gamble.
In a TV ad for Assured Food Standards' Red Tractor Scheme, screened on 1 May 2023 a voice-over stated “Farmed with care, that's the Red Tractor way. A label to trust, found on food every day. This promise is kept by the checks put in place, to care for our animals with the right food and space. Our cows have a health plan, and a personal vet, from field to store all our standards are met. When the Red Tractor's there, your food's farmed with care”. River Action challenged whether the ad exaggerated the benefits of Red Tractor endorsement because they understood (based on reports from the Environment Agency) that some environmental standards relating to pollution on Red Tractor Assured farms were not met. After extensive consideration the ASA ruled that use of the term “farmed with care” in conjunction with “all our standards are met” in advertising was misleading and that Assured Food Standards needed to make clear exactly what standards they were referring to, and the degree to which they claimed that they were being met in advertising for the Red Tractor assurance scheme. View >
A TV ad for Ariel’s ‘The Big One’ laundry pods, screened on 24 April 2025, featured a man standing in a supermarket aisle, holding a shopping list whilst looking confusedly at a large number of products labelled ‘laundry additives’. A voice-over stated, “Pre-treat, pre-soak, post-soak. When did getting your clothes clean become such hard work? All that scrubbing and lemons and those extra products, really? But there's another way. The Big One, new from Ariel, has built-in pre-treat for double-stain and odour removal. So, it's just one and you're done. Reckitt challenged whether the claim ‘just one and you’re done’ was misleading and complained that the comparison made with an identifiable competition was not verifiable. ASA ruled that because the ad did not provide sufficient information to allow consumers to verify the comparative claim, it was misleading and breached the Code and also highlighted the need for advertisers to hold evidence to verify claims made. View >
Ministers write to businesses to highlight urgent need for action on cyber security: The Secretaries of State for Science, Innovation and Technology and Business and Trade, together with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Minister for Security and heads of the National Cyber Security Centre and National Crime agency have written jointly to the Chair and CEO of all UK350 stock market listed and a number of other UK businesses calling for them to take urgent action to address cyber security risks. Three specific urgent actions are highlighted in the letter:
Making cyber security a Board level responsibility
Signing up for early warnings from the National cyber security centre
Requiring cyber essentials to be applied in their supply chains
Businesses are asked in the letter to confirm receipt and to nominate a named senior level contact with whom they can communicate with on this issue.
Consultation on updated rules for bingo premises and gaming machines: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has launched a consultation on proposals to make changes to stakes and prizes for category D machines and up to update the licensing framework for the land-based bingo sector. For category D gaming machines (which form the staple of the family arcade environment) DCMS are consulting on changes to stakes and prizes for crane grabs, coin pushers and non-money prize machines and also on creating a new category of slot style non-money prize machines. The consultation also proposes to make it an offence to invite, cause or permit anyone under the age of 18 to use a ‘cash out’ style category D machine. The Government is also looking to make a clearer distinction between adult gaming centres and bingo premises by establishing a ‘bingo area’ which must make up a minimum proportion of premises space and to set rules as to what this area should contain. Responses are required by 9 January.View >
EU updates
EU Council approve Toy Safety Regulation: The EU Council has voted to formally adopt its first reading position on the proposal, which is expected to be the last step of the adoption process at Council level. The text will now need to be approved by the European Parliament before entering into force. The new regulation bans or restricts the use in toys of several dangerous chemical substances, including endocrine disruptors, skin sensitisers, biocidal products, and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
The regulation strengthens the enforcement of toy safety rules by means of a digital product passport (DPP) containing key safety information, which will facilitate customs control and market surveillance. View >
EU Commission publish criteria for healthier and greener public canteen food: The Joint Research Centre has published a new report on how to achieve healthy and sustainable meals in public institutions, from schools to public workplaces and hospitals. Though not binding, the criteria are intended to help national, regional and local authorities to improve the sustainability of the food system and use public procurement of food in a strategic manner to address environmental, social, including health and economic considerations.View >
EU Dg Trade and Economic Security recognise first supply chain due diligence scheme re conflict minerals: The Conflict Minerals Regulation requires EU importers of tin, tungsten, tantalum and gold to perform supply chain due diligence, meaning they must take reasonable steps to ensure that the minerals and metals they import are not contributing to financing armed groups or human rights abuses. Industry schemes such as this first one approved can enable companies to meet these requirements, including through the performance of third-party audits. View >
EU Parliament committee accept report on need for more protection for minors using online services.
MEPs from the Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee have adopted a report, in which they express concerns over major online platforms’ failure to protect minors adequately and warn of the risks relating to addiction, mental health, and exposure to illegal and harmful content. The MEPs propose an EU-wide digital minimum age of 16 for access to social media, video sharing platforms and AI (artificial intelligence) companions, unless authorised by parents, and a minimum age of 13 to access any social media.View >
DEFRA: Publish pesticide residues in food monitoring report for quarter 1 2025.View >
Chartered Institute of Environmental Health: Call for visibility of environmental health practitioners following Local Government reorganisation. View >
Competition and Markets Authority: Consult re enforcement approach under the fuel price finder regulations – Responses required by 3rd November.
Northern Ireland Executive: Consult on updating of detailed statutory certification scheme for tourist accommodation. Responses required by 6 January.View >
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