By . Sean Poulter, Consumer Affairs Editor . PUBLISHED: . 18:41 EST, 3 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 18:45 EST, 3 September 2013 . Tesco has been accused of trying to fool customers over the horsemeat burger scandal by attempting to spread the blame to others. The supermarket was the focus of public outrage after it emerged in January that some of its cheap  frozen burgers were as much as 29 per cent horsemeat. At the time, Britain’s biggest food retailer apologised but suggested it was the victim of a widespread problem, saying in adverts: ‘It’s about the whole food industry.’ The Advertising Standards Agency has ruled that a claim by Tesco that the horsemeat scandal was a problem for 'the whole food industry' should not be repeated . The claim outraged the nation’s independent butchers, and in a ruling published today, the Advertising Standards Authority upheld objections to the Tesco claim that this was a problem for ‘the whole food industry’. The advertising watchdog said the statement would be understood by consumers to relate to all food retailers and suppliers, rather than Tesco alone. The ASA said: ‘Because the ad implied that all retailers and suppliers were likely to have sold  products contaminated with horsemeat, and because relatively few instances of contamination had been identified at the time the ad appeared, we concluded the ad was misleading.’ As a result, it said the ad breached industry codes and the claim should not be repeated. The full advertisement read: ‘The problem we’ve had with some of our meat lately is about more than burgers and bolognese. It’s about some of the ways we get meat to your dinner table. Some of Tesco's cheap frozen burgers were found to contain as much as 29 per cent horsemeat . ‘It’s about the whole food industry. And it has made us realise, we really do need to make it better. ‘We’ve . been working on it, but we need to keep going, go further, move . quicker. We know that our supply chain is too complicated. So we’re . making it simpler ... Seriously. This is it. We are changing’. Brindon Addy, chairman of the Q Guild of butchers, welcomed the ruling. He said: ‘It was not only Tesco, but this was a problem of the big boys. ‘They were screwing the prices down to demand cheaper products with the result that cutting plants ended up using horse in manufactured products. ‘Tesco tried to mislead customers, but I don’t think they were fooled. ‘People realised it was problem of less trustworthy supermarkets and have changed to the high-end butchers. ‘As a result, we have seen a 30 per cent increase in sales. The claim that the scandal affected the whole food industry outraged butchers who insist they know the provenance of all of their meat (file picture) ‘This was not a problem of quality butchers, who deal directly with farmers or small, reputable wholesalers.’ Mr Addy said he was surprised that Tesco and others have not been prosecuted. Mr Addy, whose business is based in Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, said: ‘It was wrong to sell horsemeat as beef. It was misleading. If it was me selling horsemeat in burgers, I know I would have been clobbered by the local authority.’ In its defence to the ASA, Tesco produced expert evidence arguing that the contamination was widespread. It claimed that while small butchers do source local food, they do not have the resources to audit suppliers to guarantee its authenticity. Wayne Rooney has been cleared of breaching advertising rules in a tweet for Nike. Watchdogs launched an investigation after receiving a complaint from someone who saw the message when it was retweeted on Twitter. They questioned whether the tweet - 'The pitches change. The killer instinct doesn't. Own the turf, anywhere. @NikeFootball £myground' and a link to a picture - was obviously identifiable as a marketing communication. However, the Advertising Standard Authority (ASA) ruled no rules had been broken and cleared the England and Manchester United footballer of any wrongdoing. Nike said the inclusion of the '@NikeFootball' official Nike Football Twitter address would have left people 'in no doubt' that the tweet was a Nike marketing communication, because it directly and prominently referenced the Nike brand and its official Twitter address. The ASA investigated the tweet in connection with rules regarding 'recognition of marketing communications', but did not find it in breach and said no further action was necessary. An ASA spokesman said: 'We considered the reference to Nike Football was prominent and clearly linked the tweet with the Nike brand.'
Tesco said horsemeat scandal was problem for 'whole food industry'
Advertising Standards Authority said ad breached industry codes and should not be repeated .
Claim outraged butchers who say they know where their meat comes from .
By . Sean Poulter, Consumer Affairs Editor . PUBLISHED: . 18:41 EST, 3 September 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 18:45 EST, 3 September 2013 . Tesco has been accused of trying to fool customers over the horsemeat burger scandal by attempting to spread the blame to others. The supermarket was the focus of public outrage after it emerged in January that some of its cheap  frozen burgers were as much as 29 per cent horsemeat. At the time, Britain’s biggest food retailer apologised but suggested it was the victim of a widespread problem, saying in adverts: ‘It’s about the whole food industry.’ The Advertising Standards Agency has ruled that a claim by Tesco that the horsemeat scandal was a problem for 'the whole food industry' should not be repeated . The claim outraged the nation’s independent butchers, and in a ruling published today, the Advertising Standards Authority upheld objections to the Tesco claim that this was a problem for ‘the whole food industry’. The advertising watchdog said the statement would be understood by consumers to relate to all food retailers and suppliers, rather than Tesco alone. The ASA said: ‘Because the ad implied that all retailers and suppliers were likely to have sold  products contaminated with horsemeat, and because relatively few instances of contamination had been identified at the time the ad appeared, we concluded the ad was misleading.’ As a result, it said the ad breached industry codes and the claim should not be repeated. The full advertisement read: ‘The problem we’ve had with some of our meat lately is about more than burgers and bolognese. It’s about some of the ways we get meat to your dinner table. Some of Tesco's cheap frozen burgers were found to contain as much as 29 per cent horsemeat . ‘It’s about the whole food industry. And it has made us realise, we really do need to make it better. ‘We’ve . been working on it, but we need to keep going, go further, move . quicker. We know that our supply chain is too complicated. So we’re . making it simpler ... Seriously. This is it. We are changing’. Brindon Addy, chairman of the Q Guild of butchers, welcomed the ruling. He said: ‘It was not only Tesco, but this was a problem of the big boys. ‘They were screwing the prices down to demand cheaper products with the result that cutting plants ended up using horse in manufactured products. ‘Tesco tried to mislead customers, but I don’t think they were fooled. ‘People realised it was problem of less trustworthy supermarkets and have changed to the high-end butchers. ‘As a result, we have seen a 30 per cent increase in sales. The claim that the scandal affected the whole food industry outraged butchers who insist they know the provenance of all of their meat (file picture) ‘This was not a problem of quality butchers, who deal directly with farmers or small, reputable wholesalers.’ Mr Addy said he was surprised that Tesco and others have not been prosecuted. Mr Addy, whose business is based in Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, said: ‘It was wrong to sell horsemeat as beef. It was misleading. If it was me selling horsemeat in burgers, I know I would have been clobbered by the local authority.’ In its defence to the ASA, Tesco produced expert evidence arguing that the contamination was widespread. It claimed that while small butchers do source local food, they do not have the resources to audit suppliers to guarantee its authenticity. Wayne Rooney has been cleared of breaching advertising rules in a tweet for Nike. Watchdogs launched an investigation after receiving a complaint from someone who saw the message when it was retweeted on Twitter. They questioned whether the tweet - 'The pitches change. The killer instinct doesn't. Own the turf, anywhere. @NikeFootball £myground' and a link to a picture - was obviously identifiable as a marketing communication. However, the Advertising Standard Authority (ASA) ruled no rules had been broken and cleared the England and Manchester United footballer of any wrongdoing. Nike said the inclusion of the '@NikeFootball' official Nike Football Twitter address would have left people 'in no doubt' that the tweet was a Nike marketing communication, because it directly and prominently referenced the Nike brand and its official Twitter address. The ASA investigated the tweet in connection with rules regarding 'recognition of marketing communications', but did not find it in breach and said no further action was necessary. An ASA spokesman said: 'We considered the reference to Nike Football was prominent and clearly linked the tweet with the Nike brand.'
food industry.’ The Advertising Standards Agency horsemeat scandal was a problem for 'the whole food industry' should not be repeated . The claim said the ad breached industry codes and the claim scandal affected the whole food industry outraged butchers who insist they know the provenance of