Zoe, a wellness startup backed by Steven Bartlett, has had an online ad banned by regulators for the second time.
The Facebook advert for nutrition app Zoe’s food supplements included an endorsement from the Diary of a CEO host stating: “This is a supplement revolution. No ultra-processed pills, no shakes, just real food.”
The ad was reported to the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) by a professor of nutrition and food science who took issue with its claim that the product contained no “ultra-processed” ingredients.
In response to the complaint, Zoe claimed that there was “no universally accepted single, legal or scientific established definition of ultra-processed foods” and that the ad was designed to explain that within the supplement category, its product would not be considered ultra-processed because it does not contain artificial flavourings.
The ASA acknowledged there is not a clear definition of ultra-processed, however, it argued that due to the level of processing required to make Zoe’s supplements, the product could be interpreted as ultra-processed, making the advertising misleading.
This is the second advert from Zoe banned by the ASA, which previously took issue with a promotional post from the group from February 2024 that included an endorsement from Bartlett.
“If you haven’t tried Zoe yet, give it a shot. It might just change your life,” the ad said, supposedly quoting the Dragon’s Den star.
The ad was banned for not adequately disclosing Bartlett’s commercial ties with the company.
The ASA similarly banned an ad for the nutrition company Huel, of which Bartlett was a director at the time, for including him as a celebrity endorsement without disclosing his financial connection to the company.
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