A Heinz baked beans advert that which sought to teach viewers how to bang the can like a drum has been banned over fears people might cut their hands.
The commercial showed people drumming on Heinz Beanz tins to play the rhythm of a song, with the catchline "Learn the £CanSong".
Nine viewers lodged complaints with the Advertising Standards Agency that the advert encouraged "unsafe practice" while six believing it could be dangerous for children to emulate.
Heinz said it had posted video tutorials showing people how to safely drum on a bean tin and that advert only showed people tapping on "safe" surfaces, meaning the top, bottom or sides fo a sealed tin. At no point does it show anyone putting their hand or fingers inside the can.
Consumers who had uploaded their own versions of the song on social media sites proved that copying the ad was “not prejudicial to their health or safety”, the company added.
The ASA noted that consumers were "unlikely to be as proficient as the actors" at flipping and twirling the can around.
It said that "in any case, particularly given the manoeuvres required, it might still be possible that mistakes could be made with an empty can, which might include a hand or fingers being inserted into an open tin, with the associated risk of cuts".
It said the advert itself did not include any instructions to consumers to ensure a tin can was made safe before attempting to learn the song.
The ASA said: "For the reasons given and because the ad did not include information on how to ensure consumer safety when recreating the song, we concluded that the ad condoned and encouraged behaviour that prejudiced health or safety."
It ruled that the advert must not be broadcast again in its current form, adding: "We told Heinz to ensure that future ads did not condone or encourage behaviour that prejudiced health and safety, including behaviour that could be dangerous for children to emulate, for example by featuring open tin cans being used to play music."
Additional reporting by PA
