The Irish Farmers’ Association has claimed the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) has lost credibility with its plans to ban advertising of most cheeses during children’s programming.
The authority closes its second stage of consultation on the children’s code today but IFA dairy chairman Kevin Kiersey said it should “go back to the drawing board” on the issue.
“The BAI’s experts have failed to show any contribution by cheese to obesity in Irish children because, while the incidence of obesity in children and teenagers has almost doubled in the last 20 years, facts show that their consumption of cheese over the same period has remained static, and well below recommended daily amounts,” Mr Kiersey said.
He claimed the authority had failed to recognise the importance of cheese in increasing calcium intake by children. In puberty and teenage years, children need five servings of dairy foods every day.
The UK nutrient model used by the Broadcasting Authority would rule out the advertising of most cheeses during children’s programmes because of their fat and salt content.
