In a bid to protect the consumer the UK Advertising Standards Authority this week upheld a complaint that objected to a direct mailing for a book called "Eat and Heal". The advertisers had published a brochure entitled "Health Alert : Special Edition. Food poisoning: 'This year's greatest threat'" and beneath the heading the brochure stated "URGENT REPORT (to be read immediately) A doctor claims: 'Your Health is in DANGER!'". The company offered a range of "miracle" foods to combat a spectrum of diseases from "chronic flu bacteria that love your fridge" to "Carcinogenic vegetables you should avoid" . The Authority concluded that not only could such propaganda encourage self-diagnosis and self-treatment of serious medical conditions but also that " it exaggerated both the risks to recipients from the conditions referred to in the mailing and the benefits in treating those conditions from buying the advertised product." The market for functional foods is growing each year, arguably due to the increasing desire by consumers to better their health through food and other non-medical means. As the industry grows it is not improbable that opportunities to dupe and alarm the consumer will also increase. The role of the ASA and other regulators in protecting the consumer will be even more invaluable.
