LONDON (AFP) — US food giant Heinz has pulled a television commercial featuring a gay kiss after the advertising watchdog received over 200 complaints.
The advert for its New York Deli mayonnaise is set in a family kitchen and shows a man -- dressed as a chef and referred to as "mum" -- packing school lunches before sharing a kiss with another man. As the father leaves the house, the chef is heard calling him "sweet cheeks".
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said Wednesday that it had received 202 complaints over the advert which viewers complained was "offensive" and "unsuitable to be seen by children".
The ASA will decide over the next few days whether to launch an investigation.
Heinz was quick to issue an apology to anyone who felt offended by the mayonnaise advert, which was no longer on air in Britain as of June 20.
Heinz UK spokesman Nigel Dickie said the advert was intended as "a humorous take on a slice of life.
"It is our policy to listen to consumers. We recognise that some consumers raised concerns over the content of the ad and this prompted our decision to withdraw it ," he said late Tuesday.
"The advertisement, part of a short-run campaign, was intended to be humorous and we apologise to anyone who felt offended."
The AMV BBDO advertising agency was behind the TV advert and they explained to The Guardian that the concept behind the New York Deli campaign is that the product tastes so good "it's as if you have your own New York deli man in your kitchen".
The popular BBC show Eastenders was the first British show to show a televised gay kiss in 1987.
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