An advert for Flora Buttery featuring celebrity chef Gary Rhodes has been criticised for being misleading.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) received a number of complaints relating to the advert for the product which stated: “More people prefer the taste of Flora Buttery”.

The complaints claimed the evidence on which the claim was made involved a survey whose results were marginal and the advert was therefore misleading.

The advert sees Rhodes approach shoppers and ask them to taste buttered crumpets and choose their favourite.

On-screen text states during the advert: “Out of 200 people tested 48 per cent preferred Flora Buttery Taste, 45 per cent Lurpak Lighter spreadable, 7 per cent had no preference.”

The complaints suggested the claim that most shoppers therefore preferred the Flora product was misleading, because they believed the survey was marginal and the sample size was too small upon which to base the preference claim.

In response to the complaints, Unilever said the independent survey of 200 people was appropriate when testing the taste preferences of the general public.

The company added said the claim “More people prefer the taste of Flora Buttery” was not an absolute claim, but was based on the results of independent research and Gary Rhodes’s own experience as Flora Buttery’s brand ambassador.

The ASA in their verdict, however, ruled against Unilever, raising concern that the result of the survey was insufficient to support a ‘preference’ claim and there was no evidence to demonstrate the results were statistically significant to qualify the claim “more people prefer” Flora Buttery in the context of the survey.

“We noted, of the total number surveyed, the number of those who selected Lurpak Lighter Spreadable or indicated no preference, was greater than the number who selected Flora Buttery,” a statement from the ASA said.

“We considered, therefore, that the results had not demonstrated that more people prefer the taste of Flora Buttery.

“We concluded that the claim “More people prefer the taste of Flora Buttery” had not been supported with sufficiently robust evidence and was therefore, likely to mislead.”

As a result, the ASA ruled the advert should not be broadcast again in its current form.