Vegan company targets those who have cut down on meat during lockdown with provocative 'M*** F***' campaign

A vegan company's "light-hearted" advertising campaign has ruffled some feathers with its suggestion of offensive language.

The £1.5 million campaign, launched on Monday, aims to encourage more Brits to avoid eating meat with the provocative slogan M*** F***.

With lines such as 'Now that's a M*** F*** burger' in its advertisements, Meatless Farm said it hopes to give the nation "a bit of a lift" during the coronavirus lockdown.

But the suggestive language has led to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) saying it would investigate complaints about “decency” after the campaign’s launch.

The Leeds-based vegan company said it is aiming to build on huge growth in the UK as customers desire for plant based alternative has risen during the pandemic.

Michael Hunter, Meatless Farm’s chief growth officer, said: “Throughout lockdown we’ve seen a surge in sales, with more and more Brits trying or considering making the swap to plant-based, even if it is just once a week.

“We felt the nation needed a bit of a lift as it’s been a tough time for everyone, so more than ever we wanted to create something light-hearted and fun that consumers would remember when they are looking for alternatives to meat.”

According to the market research company Nielsen, Meatless Farm's sales have nearly tripled with a rise of 179 per cent year on year due to health, environment and welfare factors.

The advertising slogan will appear on TV, radio adverts, 12 branded electric cars across London, social media and supermarket packaging.

A new TV advert for the campaign will also feature on Channel 4 throughout August and September.

Almost a quarter of all new food products launched in the UK last year were vegan, according to market research firm Mintel.

But livestock farmers are likely to bristle at campaigns that call on Britons to swap to a plant-based diet.

Helen Browning, chief executive of the Soil Association, told the Guardian: “It’s easy to target all meat with the same brush, but it’s important to recognise that there is a big difference between meat produced to ethical standards and the cheap and nasty stuff that comes from very intensive livestock systems.

"We urge that people should eat less meat, but eat high-welfare, sustainably produced meat when they do.”

Meatless Farm products are on sale in major supermarket chains including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Asda, as well as at Wholefood Markets in the US and other global retailers.

The Evening Standard has approached the ASA for further comment.

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