Real Bread Campaign slams ASA Hovis decision

On 3 November 2026, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) advised that it had not upheld a complaint (A26-1360341) submitted by the Real Bread Campaign about an advertising campaign for Hovis, a brand owned by Associated British Foods.

Real Bread Campaign coordinator Chris Young said: ‘This is a disappointing decision by the ASA. What were the adverts if not misleading misdirection from the truth about a manufacturer and its industrial dough products? We believe that the ASA has allowed ABF to get away with cynically exploiting people’s nostalgia for small, independent bakeries to generate profit for a massive, multinational corporation that helped to rip them out of the hearts of our local communities.’

The ASA Council’s decision

The following is copied directly from an email from the ASA to the Real Bread Campaign.

1. The Council considered consumers would understand the ads as celebrating the Hovis brand’s long history, through its historic advertising, and as associating the brand with the everyday ‘strength’ of the people and communities who lived around the now faded signs. It’s in that context they considered the references in the ads to “heritage”, “community” and what Hovis “stood for” would be understood.

The ads did not state or imply that Hovis bread was currently baked locally, by community bakers or by traditional methods. The ads also made no claims about who owned Hovis, its corporate structure or commercial objectives. Council therefore did not consider information about the brand’s changes of ownership, its status as a profit-making company, or its use of industrial processes and ingredients were material to how consumers would interpret the ads. As such, they concluded the ads were unlikely to mislead by omission on the basis suggested.

2. The ads did not refer to independent or community bakeries, to the decline of those businesses, or to anyone whose livelihood had been affected by the growth of industrial baking. Their nostalgic tone related to Hovis’s own historic advertising and the brand’s own history. Consequently, Council concluded the ads were unlikely to cause serious or widespread offence on the basis suggested.

Action taken

We have made the advertiser aware of the issues that you brought to our attention in case they wish to take on-board the information provided when creating their ads in the future.

Thank you for contacting us with your view. 

**ENDS**

See also

• As good today as it's always been?
• Other Hovis news items