image copyrightBurger King
Article informationAuthor, Annabelle LiangRole, Business and Business Correspondent
2 hours ago
A US judge said that “Burger King” restaurants should be sued legally, after a lawsuit related to misleading people that the size of the “Burger Whopper” meat sandwich that it sells and appears on its menus is larger than it is in reality.
The lawsuit accuses the fast food giant of misleading its customers by showing its burgers with more meat and ingredients “overflowing on the sandwich”.
But Burger King told the BBC: “The claims of the plaintiffs are false.”
Its two other competitors, McDonald’s and Wendy’s, face similar lawsuits in the United States.
The class-action lawsuit against Burger King said the Whopper was made to look 35 percent larger, with an amount of meat that appeared to be more than double the amount of meat actually served to customers.
But Burger King said earlier that it was not obligated to provide customers with a burger that was “exactly as pictured”.
The district judge in which the lawsuit was filed, Roy Altman, said it should be left to the jury to “tell us what reasonable people think”.
But he denied allegations that Burger King misled customers through its television and online ads.
“The flame-grilled beef patties that appear in our advertisements are the same patties used in the millions of Whoppers we serve to customers across the country,” a Burger King spokesperson said in a statement after the ruling.
Lawyer Anthony Russo, who is representing the plaintiffs, did not immediately respond to the BBC’s request for comment.
The Burger King website describes the Whopper as “the burger that beats all kinds,” which contains a “real beef” patty and other ingredients.
image copyrightGetty Images
Other suits
Other fast food chains have recently faced legal challenges over allegations of false advertising.
And, earlier this year, a lawsuit was filed against Taco Bell in the United States, which sells pizza and wraps, claiming that what it serves to customers contains only half of the filling that it advertises.
And last year, a man in New York filed a class-action lawsuit against McDonald’s and Wendy’s, accusing the companies of unfair and deceptive business practices.
The lawsuit said McDonald’s and Wendy’s sandwiches appeared at least 15 percent bigger in ads than they were in reality.
Britain’s Advertising Standards Authority considered a complaint about an advertisement for Burger King’s chicken burger in 2010 and upheld the complaint.
Donna Castle, who works for the agency, told the BBC: “In that case, the burger was not full, and it didn’t have as much filling as it did in the ad, so we banned it.”
She added: “Consumers must be able to trust the advertisements they see and hear. Ads must not be materially misleading, must not be ambiguous, and must not exaggerate or ignore any important information.”
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2023-08-31 08:42:15
