UK: Ribena Toothkind claim to stay on packaging

Trading Standard Officers has said in a statement issued today they will not be asking Smithkline Beecham to remove the claim "Ribena Toothkind does not encourage tooth decay" from its packaging.Responding to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruling that the claim by SmithKline Beecham is absolute and not comparative, Hounslow Trading Standards said that following an investigation two years ago by an independent public analyst, the product description was not misleading.The statement concluded: "The product description was not misleading and the claim that the drink does not encourage tooth decay could be substantiated. Hounslow Council therefore does not consider SmithKline Beecham's advertising to be misleading and will not be asking the company to remove the claim from its packaging."SmithKline Beecham is to challenge the ASA ruling after being granted permission to apply for a judicial review in the high court.The ASA and Hounslow Trading Standards were prompted to investigate the claims after complaints from pressure groups such as Action and Information on Sugar.