Coca-Cola Japan asked to fix TV commercial

TOKYO: Japanese government has asked Coca-Cola (Japan) Co. to amend a television commercial with potential to mislead consumers that a new drink line had been certified as a health food product, government and company sources said Wednesday.


Food products that pass strict tests for health benefits in Japan are authorized as "tokutei hokenyo shokuhin" (food for specialized health use), or "tokuho".

"Coca-Cola (Japan) launched its Canada Dry Ginger Ale FIBER8000 without the "tokuho" authorization on April 22 and released the TV commercial on April 24 that described the launch as "tokuhou," meaning a special report.

The government's Consumer Affairs Agency instructed Coca-Cola in late April to improve the commercial, warning that consumers could misinterpret the product as "tokuho" food.

The commercial ended on May 7. A Coca-Cola official claimed that the commercial ended as originally planned. "But we would like to faithfully accept the fact that some misunderstood the commercial," the official said.