A campaign by Heura, declared unfair competition
The company stated in an advertisement that "a meat hamburger pollutes more than your car"
BarcelonaThe plant-based protein brand Heura loses a legal battle against various associations in the meat sector. This Monday, section 15 of the Provincial Court of Barcelona has qualified as "unfair competition" a campaign launched by the company in 2020 which stated that "a meat burger pollutes more than your car".
The advertising action consisted of the unfurling of an 18 x 14 meter banner on Toledo street in Madrid, one of the most central streets in the Spanish capital, as well as the publication of various messages on social networks. In the ruling published this Monday, the Provincial Court considers that the campaign can be considered "misleading advertising", in accordance with article 5 of the competition law.
In this regard, the magistrates responsible for the case order Heura to remove all content and media – both in physical format and on social networks – where the message appeared. Likewise, the use of the slogan is also prohibited, in what could be considered an "unlawful" conduct.
In parallel, Heura is obliged to publish an extract of a maximum of ten lines from the ruling in a general information newspaper, on the company's website, and on its social media accounts, including Instagram, Facebook, and X. The ruling issued this Monday is not final; therefore, the company may file an appeal for cassation and take the case to the Supreme Court.
Conflicting parties
The complainant party was made up of the Interprofessional Food Organization of Beef, Avianza, SCP, Intercun Interprofessional Organization to Promote the Rabbit Sector, Interprofessional Association of Iberian Pork, Interprofessional Organization of Sheep and Goats Interovic, and Interprofessional Organization of White Pork.
In the eyes of these associations, Heura's messages were "misleading and denigrating." At the same time, they pointed out that the campaign went "beyond deception" because it compared plant-based protein products with meat products. "They are not equivalent products," they maintained, and denounced that the messages displayed in the advertisements "were decontextualized" and "misleading."
