The advertising industry's self-regulatory body wants Wrigley to change its packaging and advertising for Eclipse gum to remove claims that it has a natural ingredient that kills germs that cause bad breath.
The National Advertising Division Council of Better Business Bureaus said it investigated Wrigley's claims about the gum after gum-making rival Cadbury Adams USA challenged them.
The group said it examined claims by Wrigley in print and television ads for a new version of Eclipse gum. The ads say a new ingredient — magnolia bark extract — kills the germs that cause bad breath while competing gums merely mask bad breath.
The group found that studies behind those claims showed promising results, but Wrigley's advertising claims overstated the results. And the company should change its messages to clarify it hasn't yet been proved that magnolia bark extract can kill germs that cause bad breath.
Messages left at Wrigley's headquarters in Chicago were not immediately returned Wednesday. According to the industry group's statement, Wrigley plans to appeal the group's decision to the National Advertising Review Board.
Cadbury Adams USA, the unit of British-based Cadbury that makes gum brands like Dentyne Ice and Trident, did not immediately return a message left seeking comment.
