Migros Faces Advertising Complaint Over Tierwohl Campaign
The Swiss animal welfare platform Werbemist formally filed a complaint with the Swiss Fairness Commission (SLK) in July regarding the Migros supermarket campaign titled “Immer aktuell: Tierwohl” (Always up to date: Animal Welfare
), bauernzeitung.ch reported. The action follows an initial announcement made by the platform in June.
Disputed Slogans and Visual Standards
The core dispute centers on how consumers interpret prominent promotional messaging versus specific agricultural labels. According to Migros spokesperson Prisca Huguenin-dit-Lenoir, the SLK evaluated the advertising campaign as a cohesive whole rather than isolating the central slogan. The retailer maintains that references to Bio Suisse and IP-Suisse, alongside the phrasing many animal-friendly produced products,
make it clear to shoppers that the statements apply specifically to products operating under those specific standards rather than every animal product in stock. Migros also defends the inclusion of a cow grazing in a meadow as a standard and permissible form of advertising imagery, asserting that the campaign remains accurate and far from deceptive.
Conflicting Views on Consumer Perception
While both sides agree on the basic facts of the case, Werbemist argues that the boldly printed slogan takes center stage alongside an emotional visual presentation, while the actual label markers remain significantly less noticeable. New contends that this layout generates the false impression that high animal welfare standards apply universally across the retailer's entire inventory. Werbemist operates as a joint project backed by Animal Rights Switzerland, Sentience, TIR, and Tier im Fokus.
SLK Ruling Limits and Next Steps
Because the Swiss Fairness Commission functions as a private self-regulatory body for the advertising industry rather than a state court, it holds no power to issue legally binding penalties and can only issue non-binding recommendations. Consequently, Werbemist has confirmed it will not pursue the case further once the regulatory body releases its official findings. The SLK typically publishes its decisions in an anonymized format one year after proceedings conclude, and both involved parties are strictly prohibited from misrepresenting the final outcome.
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