Danone's Actimel yogurt ad banned for claiming scientific proof

An advertisement for Danone's Actimel, a probiotic yogurt drink, has been banned from being aired on television by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). The ad claimed the drink supported children's natural immunity.

The agency said the claims were not supported by evidence. Following the ban, the European Food Safety Authority will study the product soon.

Actimel is "scientifically proven to help support your kids' defences", the ad said.

While Danone submitted studies to back its claim, ASA rejected these and said its ruling was not against whether the product worked or not, but due to lack of adequate evidence. The inquiry was initiated after a viewer's complaint.

Danone has described its product as sound and supported by substantial evidence in the form of 24 clinical studies across various age groups.

Some of the studies were conducted on Indian children suffering from diarrhea and gastritis, and a couple on young babies. ASA said these could not be extended to healthy youngsters.