Burger King is banned from selling Whopper Ribs in DF

After the controversy involving McPicanha without picanha, now Burger King has become a target of consumer protection agencies for selling a Whopper Ribs without rib.

This Monday (2), Procon-DF suspended the sale of the product in the Federal District until the correction of advertising. Procon-SP, in turn, said it will notify the fast food chain.

Burger King claims the burger is made with pork shoulder and has “natural rib flavor”.

The Federal District Procon’s decision is precautionary and may result in sanctions to Burger King if there is not “the total correction of advertising”.

In a note, the body of the Secretariat of Justice and Citizenship states that inspectors started an internal investigation procedure. “The advertising of the product and the information on its composition on the Burger King website carry the following statement: ‘Hamburger produced with a pork palette and rib aroma'”.

According to the entity, the “information about the actual composition of the sandwich is not displayed in a clear and ostensible way in the advertising of the product, inducing the consumer to error and characterizing misleading advertising”.

In the case of Whopper Ribs, Burger King states, in a note, that it “has always communicated clearly in all its communication materials the composition of the hamburger present in the sandwich, made from pork [paleta suína] and with 100% natural pork rib aroma”.

The network also says that the aroma is natural and all information about the composition of the hamburger is available to consumers in advertising and menus.

The brand states that it remains available to its customers through its contact channels to answer questions and provide clarification on this and any other products in its portfolio.

Last week, the Novos McPicanha line was removed from the McDonald’s menu, which received a notification from the Ministry of Justice after publicly confirming that the sandwiches are not made with picanha, but with a flavored sauce.

The controversy gained strength on social networks, especially after the press release in which the fast food chain said that “the brand regrets that the communication created about the new products may have generated doubts and informs that new pieces, highlighting the composition of the sandwiches more clearly, are already being produced”.

Senacon (National Consumer Secretariat), linked to the Ministry of Justice, also requested clarification from Conar (National Advertising Self-Regulation Council) to find out if other entities were aware of the possibility of false advertising.

If the lack of transparency with the consumer is proven, there is the possibility of apprehension, suspension and prohibition of the product, fine or even the revocation of the establishment’s license.

On Friday night (29), McDonald’s said that the snack will return to the menu, but with a new name. In a video on its Instagram page, the company said that it “vacillated in choosing the name of the new sandwich”.

Burger King did not respond to the report whether it will accompany its competitor and remove the Whopper Ribs from its menu.