|
by Richard Gibson
The campaign so stirred up two rivals that they complained to the Better
Business Bureau's National Advertising Division. Perdue Farms Inc. and Gold
'n Plump Poultry Inc. contended that the ads were misleading, since federal
regulations prohibit any commercial grower from adding hormones or steroids
to chicken products.
Someone also apparently complained to the Federal Trade Commission, which
contacted the Springdale, Ark., poultry giant to ask about the claim, a
Tyson spokesman said Thursday.
Tyson's ads say its chickens have "no hormones and no steroids added." In
one print ad now featured on the company's Web site, those words are in
larger type.
In looking into the complaints, the Better Business Bureau's advertising
division asked Tyson to respond. When the company didn't - citing "internal
developments" - the division also referred the matter to the FTC, as well
as to the Agriculture Department, which has oversight over poultry processors.
Tyson spokesman Ed Nicholson said "the reason we didn't get involved in
this whole process is because we knew (the campaign) was ending" soon. That
fact was communicated to the FTC to answer its concerns, he said. Nicholson
said he was unaware of any inquiry from the USDA.
The advertising followed what Nicholson said was "a considerable amount of
consumer research" that found a widespread misperception that chickens were
commonly fed steroids and hormones as growth stimulants.
Tyson's "hormone-free" campaign ran for about 18 months, he said. Broadcast
and print versions of the ads already have ended, and the message will be
removed from Tyson's Web site shortly, Nicholson said.
|
