Give cheese a chance, says health department

The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland has decided not to follow through on its threat to place tight restrictions on the advertisement of cheese.

To the dismay of the farming and dairy sectors, BAI had threatened to include cheese on a list of less healthy HFSS (high in fat, salt, and sugar) foods.

That classification would have seen cheese banned from advertisements during lucrative children’s programming. Furthermore, the ruling would have placed it in a group of products which could only account for less than 25% of advertising sold by a broadcaster.

Yesterday, however, the Department of Health intervened to give cheese another chance.

The BAI confirmed that, from Jul 1, 2013, new rules will come into effect for the advertisement of HFSS foods and will apply to all radio and television broadcasters here.

“Upon the recommendation of the Department of Health, advertisements and other commercial communications for cheese will be exempted from the model,” said the authority.

“This means that the rules being introduced by the BAI and applying to HFSS food and drink will not apply to advertisements for cheese. Instead, the BAI is adopting the recommendation of the Department of Health that adverts for cheese will include an on-screen message indicating the recommended maximum daily consumption limit for cheese.”

The blacklisted foods that will be subject to restrictions include obvious suspects such as potato crisps, confectionery, and fizzy drinks. However, they also include foods which many may consider relatively healthy, such as breakfast cereals and margarine.

Even when the products aimed at children are advertised outside their programming, the adverts will not be allowed to feature:

* Celebrities or sports stars;

* Programme characters such as Peppa Pig or licensed characters and personalities from cinema releases;

* Health or nutrition claims;

nPromotional offers.

BAI chief executive, Michael O’Keeffe said: “The development of these revised codes has been completed following one of the most extensive consultations undertaken by the BAI.

“The key area of the draft code which has now been amended is the removal of cheese from the nutrient profiling model. This was done on the basis that... the Department of Health, recommended this approach given the health benefits and the economic and cultural significance of cheese in an Irish context.”

Dr Catherine Logan, nutrition manager with the National Dairy Council, said: “As part of a balanced diet, the food pyramid recommends five servings from the ‘milk, yoghurt, and cheese’ food group between the ages of 9-18 years and this decision supports parents and families in terms of following a healthy and balanced diet.”