Pioneer Foods, the maker of the popular Liqui Fruit juice brand, has been ordered to remove or amend its long-standing slogan, “Nothing But Fruit”, after the Advertising Regulatory Board (ARB) ruled that the phrase is misleading to consumers.
The decision was handed down by the ARB’s appeals committee following a complaint challenging several marketing claims on Liqui Fruit’s website, including “100% fruit juice”, “Nothing But Fruit”, and references to fruit being “sourced from local farms”.
Found fault
While the ARB upheld the brand’s right to advertise its beverages as “100% fruit juice” or “100% fruit juice blend” – which comply with South African food regulations – the committee found fault with the trademarked slogan “Nothing But Fruit”.
According to the ruling, the problem lies in the literal interpretation of the phrase.
“Nothing means exactly that – the absence of anything else,” the committee said, pointing out that Liqui Fruit’s long-life juices contain permitted additives, such as citric acid, ascorbic acid, and natural flavourings, which are not fruit.
South African legislation allows the inclusion of these additives in shelf-stable fruit juices, and Pioneer Foods maintains that all ingredients are disclosed on packaging.
The company, a subsidiary of PepsiCo, argued that “Nothing But Fruit” is not meant to be taken literally, but rather indicates the absence of other categories of produce, such as vegetables or synthetic ingredients.
Disagreed
However, the appeals committee disagreed, ruling that reasonable consumers could interpret the slogan to mean that the juice contains only fruit with no additional substances.
As a result, the trademark must be removed or amended across all advertising platforms and packaging.
The ruling also reaffirmed an earlier ARB decision in April, which accepted the use of the “100% fruit juice” claim as compliant with industry standards, given that consumers are generally aware of permissible additives in long-life juices.
However, the board also instructed Pioneer Foods to revise its claim that Liqui Fruit juice is “sourced from local farms,” after it emerged that not all ingredients are locally procured.
Pioneer Foods has not yet indicated whether it will challenge the ruling further or how it plans to revise the branding of Liqui Fruit going forward.
As a consumer, have you been confused by the ‘Nothing But Fruit’ slogan?
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