Ban for vegan advert linking cow’s milk to risk of cancer

A VEGAN group’s “misleading” advert linking cow’s milk to cancer has been banned after complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority.

The ASA said activists Viva! could not substantiate claims that hormones in cow’s milk are linked to cancer.

Its ad, which was seen on buses in Bristol last September, featured an image of a cow’s udder.

It said: “Some dairy industry facts we bet you don’t know: most cows are pregnant when milking. That’s why milk contains 35 hormones, including

‘We told Viva! not to make [such] claims … The ad must not appear again in the form complained about’

oestrogen … some of these are linked to cancer. Milk is for babies so let Viva! wean you off the teat.”

Viva! highlighted that the ad stated the hormones were “linked” to cancer, not that they “caused” cancer.

Despite this, the ASA found that the poster breached its rules.

A spokesman said: “While the claim stated that some hormones in cows milk were ‘linked’ to cancer rather than definitely stating that they caused cancer, we considered that consumers would nonetheless interpret it to mean that because of the hormones that were present in cow’s milk, drinking cow’s milk could increase a person’s risk of developing cancer.

“The ad must not appear again in the form complained about.

“We told Viva! not to make claims which stated or implied that due to the presence of hormones, drinking cow’s milk could increase a person’s risk of developing cancer.”

Juliet Gellatley, an animal rights activist and the Viva! founder and director, said: “There’s plenty of scientific data linking milk and other dairy products to an increased risk of some cancers and many researchers are pointing the finger of blame at the hormones naturally present in dairy.”