BURGER King is in a right royal mess over the size of their Whoppers.
The fast-food titan has been ordered to face a US court for allegedly deceiving customers by advertising the burger with a more substantial patty and ingredients that ‘protrude beyond the bun’.
The class-action against Burger King claims that the Whopper was depicted as 35 per cent larger, sporting more than double the meat substance in contrast to what was actually served to consumers.
“The plaintiffs’ claims are false,” Burger King said in a statement, the Guardian reports.
“The flame-grilled beef patties portrayed in our advertising are the same patties used in the millions of Whopper sandwiches we serve to guests nationwide.”
Fast-food giants McDonald’s and Wendy’s are battling a similar lawsuit in Brooklyn, New York.
Additionally, Taco Bell is facing legal action in the same Brooklyn court. The lawsuit alleges that their Crunchwraps and Mexican pizzas contain merely half the advertised amount of filling.
Each lawsuit seeks at least $5m (nearly £4m) in damages.
In the UK a 2010 complaint regarding an ad for one of Burger King’s chicken burgers was scrutinised by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). The complaint was validated and upheld by the authority.
“In that case, the burger was not as plump and did not have as much filling as in the ad and so we banned it,” Donna Castle from the ASA told the BBC.
“Consumers should be able to trust the ads they see and hear. Ads should not be materially misleading, should not be ambiguous and should not exaggerate or leave out any important information,” she added.
