A Morrisons TV ad has been banned for promoting bad eating habits to children.

The TV ad showed a mother preparing a burger for her daughter, who was just home from school. On receiving the burger the girl immediately discarded the healthy ingredients – salad, tomato and onion – and grinned as she prepared to eat.

The Advertising Standards Authority received 11 complaints that the ad condoned or encouraged poor nutritional habits, an unhealthy lifestyle or disparaged a good diet, especially in children.

The ASA said that the ad gave the impression that the girl was so keen to eat the burger on its own that she immediately removed the salad.

In addition the ASA felt that she discards the salad in a “careless manner”, suggesting she had no intention of eating it later.

“Because we considered the ad placed an emphasis on the burger being the preferable option to the salad, we concluded it condoned poor nutritional habits or an unhealthy lifestyle, especially in children, and that it disparaged good dietary practice,” ruled the ASA. “The ad must not be broadcast again in its current form.”

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