Cadbury's 'only 91 calories' ad — the ASA ruled 415 kcal per 100g is not low calorie

In January 2025, Cadbury ran a radio ad for Cadbury Delights — a chocolate bar with soft nougat and caramel — with the voiceover: 'But they're only 91 calories… Cadbury Delights. Same Cadbury, only 91 calories.' The claim was designed to position the bar as a lighter alternative within the Cadbury range.

A registered nutritionist challenged the ad. The ASA found that 'only 91 calories' implies a regulated 'low energy' claim, which under the GB Nutrition and Health Claims Register is only permitted for solid products containing no more than 40 kcal per 100g. Cadbury Delights contained 413-415 kcal per 100g — more than ten times the threshold. The ASA ruled the ad breached food advertising codes and banned it from appearing again.

Mondelez accepted the decision, stating the campaign had ended and they 'did not intend to make a nutrition claim' — only provide factual calorie information. The brand noted the ad had received prior clearance from Radiocentre, the UK radio industry body, which did not flag the claim. The case highlighted a gap between industry self-clearance and ASA standards: a claim that the regulator ruled 'low energy' had passed the radio industry's own review.

The ASA banned the ad for implying 'low energy' via 'only 91 calories' when the bar had 415 kcal per 100g, exceeding the 40 kcal limit tenfold, so it cannot appear again.

'Only' was the regulator's trigger: the word 'only' before a calorie count is a comparative claim that implies the product is low-calorie — and the product was not.

The threshold was ten times exceeded: 415 kcal per 100g against a 40 kcal limit — the gap was not a rounding error but a category difference.

Radiocentre clearance did not transfer to ASA compliance: the industry body's approval gave the brand false confidence — the ASA's standard is the one that matters.

The 'factual information' defence was structural: saying '91 calories' is factual; saying 'only 91 calories' is a claim — the word 'only' is what made it advertising.

A calorie number is factual; the word 'only' before it is a regulated claim. Industry pre-clearance is not ASA clearance — the gap is where the ban lives.