Bird and Bird emphasises stricter ASA pet food regulations

Bird and Bird, an associate member of the Pet Industry Federation (PIF), has published a briefing for pet food brands after a detailed evaluation by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) into marketing directed at pet owners using claims such as “grain-free,” “plant-based,” and “natural.”

ASA concluded that many comparative and health-related claims were not backed by solid clinical evidence, prompting it to urge tighter adherence to codes across the sector.

The regulator was especially alarmed by commercial content that links products with medicinal benefits, such as improving joint health or repelling fleas, without the necessary licensing.

Claims are deemed unlawful under UK law if the item is not registered as a medicine, regardless of any evidence gathered by the company.

The legal briefing also points to the ruling in ‘The Pet Pack’, which showed how “plant-based” descriptions can violate advertising standards if they mislead consumers about the product’s nature or benefits.

Bird and Bird encouraged pet food advertisers to prepare for similar scrutiny regarding terms like “vegan” or other lifestyle-based descriptors, following the Supreme Court’s ruling in the case of Dairy UK Ltd v Oatly AB that deemed the term “milk” can only be used to refer to products that come from an animal.

The ASA has released refreshed guidance to help manufacturers ensure their marketing strategies meet updated legal expectations.

The organisation said pet food advertisers should review their current promotional materials to make sure every health or nutritional claim is supported by high-quality, verifiable data, cautioning that refusal to comply with these standards can lead to formal rulings that damage brand reputation and get advertising campaigns taken down.

Bird and Bird added that as the pet wellness industry evolves, regulators will continue to focus on how to differentiate nutritional support from medicinal claims.

Bird and Bird said: “Industry professionals seeking to improve their compliance or understand the implications of the latest ASA guidance can access further legal resources through Bird and Bird. Ensuring that all marketing “leashes” are tightened now will help brands avoid formal investigations and maintain consumer trust in an increasingly competitive market.”