A commercial for Tetley Tea has been banned by the advertising regulator for misleadingly suggesting that a cup of tea has health benefits.

The commercial featured a woman opting for a cup of green tea instead of going running, while a voiceover says: “For an easy way to help look after yourself, pick up Tetley Green Tea. It’s full of anti-oxidants.”

The Advertising Standards Authority ruled the advert implied tea was good for drinkers’ health but said that there was no evidence it was any better than water.

However, the watchdog rejected complaints from viewers claiming the advert suggested the tea had similar health benefits to exercise.

“While it did not imply the tea had the same or similar health benefits to exercise, it did imply that the tea had some general health benefits beyond hydration, in particular because it contained antioxidants,” the ASA said.

“As we had not seen any evidence to demonstrate that green tea, or the antioxidants in it, had general health benefits, we concluded that the ad was misleading.”

Tetley claimed the commercial had promoted tea as part of being healthy, “hence the inclusion of the on-screen text [saying ‘As part of a healthy diet and lifestyle’] and the depiction of a young, fit woman who clearly leads a healthy lifestyle.”

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