Dairylea ad of girls eating cheese banned after viewers complained it encouraged unsafe behaviour

A Dairylea advert showing two girls hanging upside down from a football goal eating cheese has been banned following complaints it encourages unsafe behaviour.

The video on demand ad (seen in August on ITV Hub, All 4 and My 5) showed the two children hanging by their legs from a metal football goal frame before one opened a cheese triangle and ate it.

Just 14 viewers complained that the advert condoned or encouraged unsafe behaviour that could be dangerous for children to emulate.

Dairylea owner, Mondelez UK, said the ad’s purpose was to show parents allowing their children more freedom. Two supervising parents are seen in the background of the clip.

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Mondelez referred to a study that they said supported their view that a person’s ability to swallow was not affected by the position they ate in, including when eating upside down.

Based on the research, and because Dairylea was a soft food, the company considered there was a very low risk of choking when eating upside down.

The ad had also been given an “ex-kids” scheduling restriction, but Mondelez said they were no longer running it and would remove references to eating upside down if they used it in future.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said it sought advice from the Child Accident Prevention Trust, whose view was that the scenario depicted in the ad represented a situation where there was potentially a high risk of choking.

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

The ASA said: “We therefore considered that eating whilst upside down was an unsafe practice and one which could be dangerous for children to emulate.

“We therefore concluded that a scheduling restriction was not sufficient to reduce the risk of harm and that the ad breached the Code.”

The ASA ruled that the ad must not appear again, adding: “We told Mondelez UK to ensure their advertising did not condone or encourage unsafe practices.”

A Mondelez spokesman said: “We recognise and will abide by the ASA’s decision but we are disappointed by the ruling.

“We carefully consulted with Clearcast to pre-approve the content of this video on demand advert prior to airing.

“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.”