The Advertising Standards Authority has dismissed a complaint against a TV ad from Nestle Purina for its Go-Cat brand. The complainant challenged whether the statement “healthy, happy cats” was misleading and could be substantiated but the ASA ruled that consumers would understand Purina’s claim that its range of 12 Go-Cat cat foods were all capable of helping to maintain a balanced and nutritious diet for cats.

A TV ad for the pet food brand Go-Cat was seen on 3 March 2018. A voiceover stated: “This is an announcement. Go-Cat now has no added artificial colours with the same great taste. Here's the proof …” A video then played and showed cats playing and jumping. The voiceover then said, “Healthy, happy cats. Go-Cat, for happy, healthy cats with no added artificial flavours, preservatives and now with no added artificial colours.”

In response to the complaint Nestlé Purina said Go-Cat delivered 100% complete and balanced nutrition and was carefully formulated to include a combination of proteins, vitamins and minerals that cats needed. They said their experience was in cat nutrition and with the support of specialist software they were able to calculate the correct nutrients for every product.

In its assessment the ASA stated:

“We were provided with reports that showed the nutritional profile of all of Go-Cat products against FEDIAF guidelines, which showed that the ingredients in the cat food met recommended FEDIAF standards, meaning that they contained the necessary nutrients under an EU Regulation for the sale of pet food to constitute a ‘complete pet food’. We were also provided with reports from two random batch tests of Go-Cat products, which showed those products also met those FEDIAF standards.

“We understood that the purpose of the FEDIAF guidelines was to contribute to the production of nutritionally balanced pet food, while complying with EU legislation and to help pet food manufacturers assess the nutritional values of practical pet foods for healthy animals.

“Because the evidence showed that the 12 Go-Cat products were capable of helping to maintain a balanced and nutritious diet in cats, we concluded the claim had been substantiated and was not misleading.

The full ruling can be read here https://www.asa.org.uk/rulings/nestle-purina-petcare--uk--ltd-a18-444151.html