Kangaroo and emu chips labelled degrading

JUNK FOOD: When it comes to the crunch, chip lovers won't swallow Australia's coat of arms.

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A barbecued coat of arms as a chip flavouring is not to every Australian's taste, it seems.

The Advertising Standards Bureau has heard a complaint that Smith's Crisps proposed kangaroo and emu flavour was ''degrading'' to native wildlife and would trivialise the plight of creatures already facing habitat destruction, natural predators, illegal hunting and disease.

Smith's included the BBQ Coat of Arms flavour as one of four finalists in a competition it ran to find a new variety of chips.

The other contenders in the competition, which nets the winner $30,000 plus one percent of sales revenue, are late night kebab, Caesar salad and buttered popcorn. The anonymous complaint to the industry-run watchdog said that the flavour ''depicts the national coat of arms in a manner which could be termed as 'degrading' for native wildlife and offends on social values.

''It implies that it is perfectly OK to kill kangaroos and emus, just for fun!''

But Smith's hit back, saying the new flavour in fact honours native Australian animals.

''Far from belittling our coat of arms, as expressed by the complainant, the kangaroo and emu joining in the BBQ is a creative way of celebrating our Australian heritage while expressing the flavour of an Aussie BBQ,'' the company said in its formal response.

It also made an admission that the chip did not actually contain any emu or kangaroo, rendering it suitable for vegetarians.

The advertising watchdog rejected the complaint, finding most people would see the idea as humorous and that it did not denigrate Australia or breach the advertisers' code of ethics.

The complaint was one of 22 heard last month by the Advertising Standards Bureau against a variety of companies including Cadbury, Tooheys and Hoyts.

All were dismissed by the watchdog.