Cheese ad restrictions ‘would hit dairy sector’

Restricting the advertising of cheese by classifying it as a “less healthy” food could cause huge reputational damage to the Irish dairy industry, it has been claimed.

The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) is reviewing the marketing of food and drink to children and plans to use Britain’s nutrient profiling model as a way of categorising foods.

Speaking about the proposals to the joint Oireachtas committee on communications, natural resources, and agriculture, Maeve Guthrie, the chief executive of the National Dairy Council, said if the BAI proposal went ahead using this flawed food classification model it would lead to potentially major reputational issues with economic consequences.