Heinz beans ad banned by UK advertising watchdog

A Heinz beans advert that depicts the drumming out of a song on tin cans has been banned for health and safety reasons.

The publicity television campaign featured young people and adults using Heinz tins to bash out the rhythm of a song, tagging it with the hastag #LearntheCanSong.

However, The Advertising Standards Authority ruled that the encouragement of the act might lead to small children cutting their hands. 

In reaction to the ruling, Kraft Heinz denied that the advertising campaign presented a public risk and subsequently ordered Heinz not to continue to broadcast the advert in its current form.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE)’s chairman Martin Temple said: “It does look like the term health and safety has been used incorrectly here”.

He added: “We would hope the public realise there are absolutely no regulations preventing children from playing with empty sealed tin cans.

“One thing kids never lack is imagination to invent their own games with the simplest of props. Obviously if a child is playing with a jagged edge on a tin container there is a risk of injury, but we would hope parents manage that risk.”

A spokesperson for Heinz stated: “We believe this popular ad did not pose any safety risk and many fans were inspired to create their own video versions.”