NAD: Align advertising claims are supported

NEW YORK The National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus on Monday determined that Proctor & Gamble can support certain advertising claims for the company’s Align probiotic, including a doctor-recommended claim.

NAD determined that the body of research presented by the advertiser as evidence was sufficient to support the general claim that “Align helps restore your natural balance, building and maintaining a stronger, healthier digestive system.” However, NAD noted that P&G took appropriate action in voluntarily discontinuing certain “clinically proven” claims.

Claims at issue included:

•  “Align helps restore your natural balance, building and maintaining a stronger, healthier digestive system.”;
• “Align is the No. 1 Gastroenterologist-Recommended probiotic supplement that helps you build and maintain a stronger, healthier digestive system.”;
• “Only Align contains Bifantis, which gives you a probiotic supplement that is clinically proven against five signs of digestive imbalance, providing ongoing protection against episodic constipation, diarrhea, urgency, gas and bloating.”; and
• “Align with Bifantis is the only probiotic clinically proven to naturally protect against episodes of constipation, diarrhea, urgency, gas and bloating.”

Upon receipt of NAD’s inquiry, P&G said that it planned to discontinue the “clinically proven” claims in all U.S. media, while it conducts further research on Align. P&G, in its advertiser’s statement, said that as a “strong supporter of the NAD, P&G will honor its commitments to NAD and will as always take the NAD’s decision into account in future advertising.”