Competitor, Council Claim Wrigley Ad Smells Fishy

By Marcus Gilmer in Food on Apr 9, 2009 8:40PM

A new ad for Eclipse gum has producer Wrigley coming under fire from both a competitor - Cadbury - and the Council of Better Business Bureaus. The ad claims Wrigley's Eclipse gum kills germs but the above organizations are calling "shenanigans." Information on the Wrigley website says:

The newly reformulated products now contain magnolia bark extract (MBE), a natural ingredient proven to help kill the germs that cause bad breath without affecting taste. The germ-killing benefits of MBE, which has origins in traditional Chinese medicine, were revealed by a 2007 Wrigley study. Two compounds, called "magnolol" and "honokiol", which occur naturally in MBE, are responsible for the ingredient's germ-killing properties. In lab tests, MBE killed virtually all oral bacteria, including 2 types that cause bad breath and a third that causes cavities. Volunteers who had gum or breath mints containing MBE after a meal showed a greater reduction in bad-breath bacteria than those who were given regular gum or mints. Eclipse gum and mints are the first products in the U.S. to contain MBE.

But now not only has Cadbury challenged Wrigley's claim, but the council is now calling on Wrigley to change the ads. According to Crain's:

The council’s National Advertising Division, the industry’s self-regulatory forum, said there is not enough credible scientific evidence to make the claims and Wrigley should only advertise that there is emerging evidence that magnolia bark extract could help kill germs.

Crain's adds that Wrigley will appeal the decision before the National Advertising Review Board.