Complaints to the Canadian Advertising Foundation were up considerably in 1991, says the organization in its complaints summary for last year.

In 1991, complaints were up 33% over 1990 numbers, says the foundation, reversing a 1980s trend that had complaints showing a steady decrease.

The caf had 324 complaints submitted last year, one-third of them upheld. The foundation received 243 complaints in 1990, and 175 in 1989.

The bulk of this year’s upheld complaints, 97 of 109, were directed at two national advertising campaigns under the Taste, Public Decency clause of the Canadian Code of Advertising Standards.

The foundation does not disclose the identity of anyone involved in a complaint nor any company or advertising.

Once again television drew the largest number of upheld complaints in the media category. The outdoor category drew the next greatest number of upheld complaints, 38 of them, as against none for 1990.

Predictably, consumers lodged the most upheld complaints in 1991, 108 of them in fact, almost 10 times 1990’s number.

The retail trade sector initiated two upheld complaints last year, double the 1990 figure, and groups and associations lodged four upheld complaints, again double last year’s number.

Governments did not initiate any upheld complaints in 1991, although they did initiate one the year before that.