Further Explosion Of Chicken Myths
- Tegel says the decision is a victory for commonsense

Tegel Foods says the decision of the Advertising Standards Authority is a victory for commonsence, and validates completely its approach to addressing the long-standing myths about the production and quality of New Zealand poultry.

As reinforced by Health Authorities Tegel chicken is perfectly safe to eat when properly handled and cooked, and consumers can be totally confident about eating it. It is a great product which is healthy, versatile, tasty and convenient. It’s New Zealand’s most popular meat.

Tegel says it is not surprised by the decision. Tegel’s chicken has no added hormones, it is pure natural and healthy, and is barn raised. These are facts.

The sole purpose of Tegel advertising has been to ensure that consumers are better informed, because research had shown that there was widespread belief our chickens were fed hormones and were raised in cages. These were myths, and we simply made a genuine effort to better inform consumers.

This latest endorsement by the ASA of the factual nature of Tegel’s advertising, complements the stringent review process undertaken by Tegel before the ads went to air, to ensure the advertisements would not mislead the public. The advertisements were reviewed by the Television Commercial Approvals Bureau, and legally checked against the definitions and guidelines provided by the Fair Trading Division of the Commerce Commission.

The fact is that Tegel has abided by all government regulations and voluntary codes governing food advertising in NZ. For this reason we are not surprised by the ASA’s findings.

People are now well aware that hormones are not fed to Tegel chickens and that Tegel chickens are barn raised.

The only people advantaged by consumer confusion on matters of health and welfare are those with their own political agenda. They presume to know what all consumers think, and don’t credit consumers with much intelligence at all.

Tegel is pleased that the ASA’s ruling supports the commonsense position that consumers understand what Tegel means when it says that it goes to great lengths to provide chicken products that are pure, natural and healthy.

ENDS

© Scoop Media