Advert for Dairylea BANNED as it was said to encourage ‘unsafe’ behaviour

An advert for Dairylea cheese has been banned for encouraging unsafe behaviour.

The ad – which was shown on catch-up television last August – featured two girls hanging from a goalpost, with one of them eating a cheese triangle.

Fourteen people complained, including one viewer who said a toddler in their family had copied the girls.

Dairylea owner Mondelez argued the risk of choking was low when upside down.

The ASA said it had sought expert views on child accidents, and was advised that there was a potentially a high risk of choking in that situation.

“We also noted that one complainant had reported that their three-year-old relative, after seeing the ad, ate their food whilst hanging upside down.

We considered that the ad condoned and encouraged younger children to eat whilst hanging upside down, which was an unsafe practice where there was potentially a high risk of choking.”

The advert must not appear again. Mondelez said it was no longer running the ad and would remove references to eating upside down if it used the ad in future.

A Mondelez spokesman said: “We recognise and will abide by the ASA’s decision but we are disappointed by the ruling. It was aimed at adults (parents) rather than young children and was deliberately scheduled away from programming likely to appeal to children under 16. As such, we believe it was unlikely to encourage ‘copycat’ behaviour by young children.

“We remain committed to responsible advertising and work with a range of partners to make sure our marketing meets and complies with all relevant UK regulations.”