ASA rules against Co-op over ‘misleading’ Aldi price match claims

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld a complaint against Co-op regarding its “misleading” Aldi price match scheme, ruling that the basis of product comparisons was not sufficiently clear.

It comes as Aldi Stores challenged whether the “everyday essentials” claim by Co-op was misleading and questioned the appropriateness of specific product matches. The regulator investigated three issues, upholding one while dismissing concerns regarding the scope of the “everyday essentials” range and the inclusion of specific banner items.

The ASA found that Co-op matched several products to Aldi alternatives that were not the nearest equivalents. This included matching wholemeal farmhouse loaves to white farmhouse loaves, and ginger ale or bitter lemon to tonic water.

While Co-op argued that these items met the same customer needs, the watchdog noted that distinct differences in ingredients and nutrition profiles meant consumers would not necessarily view them as comparable. The ruling also highlighted that the 500g packs of fusilli were matched to penne because Aldi only stocked fusilli in 1kg bags.

In its ruling, the ASA stated: “Because Aldi’s nearest comparable individual product had not always been selected by Co-op for inclusion in the price match, and because no sufficiently prominent information was provided or adequately signposted to explain how products were deemed ‘comparable’, and to verify the claim, we concluded that the basis of the comparison had not been made clear and that the ad was therefore misleading.”

The Co-operative Group added: “We match the prices of certain Co-op products against comparable products available at Aldi.”

In light of this, the ASA has ordered that the advertisement must not appear again in its current form. It instructed the retailer to ensure that comparisons between non-identical products do not mislead and that the basis of any comparison is made clear to consumers.