Bit surprised that Vitabiotics (of several ASA adjudications) have won a Queen's Award for Pregnacare

While reading this rather excellent blog post highlighting why Holland & Barrett's #askourowls campaign is a lot more wrongheaded than I'd originally thought (see also this) I found their Facebook page which led me to this news about Vitabiotics:

"Vitabiotics is honoured to be the FIRST ever vitamin supplement company to receive The Queen's Award for Enterprise in the category of Innovation."

This is specifically for their Pregnacare range which includes folic acid, some B vitamins and omega 3 fats. I'm fairly sure there's reasonable evidence that all of those sorts of things are pretty useful in pregnancy, although I'm also fairly sure that they can be acquired much more cheaply - even as supplements, not just from the diet which would obviously be the cheapest option of all.

Slightly mean of me but it would make me chuckle if Pregnacare was subject to an Advertising Standards Adjudication, but only because Vitabiotics have already had a handful of adjudications for their other products.

Vitabiotics Diabetone (30 June 2010) - upheld
Vitabiotics Neurozan (30 April 2011) - upheld
Vitabiotics Immunace (11 May 2011) - upheld

Vitabiotics Wellman (28 Nov 2012) - this one was not upheld

Vitabiotics put in a complaint themselves, about an advert from a different company - NeoCell, which was also upheld.

As far as I can tell Holland & Barrett have had three ASA adjudications upheld against them (one was only in part) however none related to evidence for products but confusing advertising about price reductions.

I don't know how many of the products that H&B sell have been subject to ASA adjudications, beyond the Vitabiotics ones though.