The National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus has recommended that petfood manufacturer Halo, Purely for Pets modify or discontinue certain Internet advertising claims that state or suggest competing petfoods are unsafe, unhealthy or made with unsafe ingredients.
Competing petfood manufacturer Hill's Pet Nutrition challenged Halo’s advertising claims before the National Advertising Division. Challenges included Halo's claims that chicken meal and other petfood ingredients used in competing products are not as high of quality as its own ingredients, and claims that competing petfoods should not be fed to pets because they are not of human grade.
In its decision, the National Advertising Division said that, contrary to the arguments of advertiser Halo, a specific competitor does not need to be identified in a claim for it to be considered comparative to a competitor. The decision also said that as the advertiser, Halo is responsible for all reasonable interpretations of its claims. The National Advertising Division said Halo voluntarily agreed to discontinue the claims challenged, and the group warned Halo of any such future claims.
