A-B Complaints Rejected

Federal regulators have rejected Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc.’s complaints about the advertising campaigns of beer-making rival Miller Brewing Co. The Treasury Department’s Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau found that Milwaukee-based Miller’s slogan that Miller Lite has “more taste and half the carbs of Bud Light” is not disparaging or misleading.

“After a thorough review of (Anheuser-Busch’s) complaints and Miller’s response, we find that Miller’s advertising campaigns do not violate the regulations relating to comparative advertising,” Stephen Taylor, assistant chief of the bureau’s advertising, labeling and formulation division, said in a letter to Miller’s Washington-based vice president of government affairs.

“We’re going to continue to remind consumers they have a choice when selecting a beer, and we’re going to assume that Anheuser-Busch is going to continue to complain about our marketing efforts,” Miller spokesman Peter Marino said.

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