22 March 2007, 16:09 PM
  • A Liberal Democrat MP has come out in support of moves to overturn the banning of cheese product advertising during TV programming aimed at children aged under 16, it has emerged.

David Heath officially co-sponsored a parliamentary motion presented by fellow Liberal Democrat Dan Rogerson, which called for cheese to be removed from the list of products affected by the TV ads ban brought in by Ofcom.

Mr Heath maintained that while many British consumers do have issues with an unhealthy diet, eating cheese products “is not the problem” and such goods should not be categorised as a junk food. “This is just another example of the disregard with which this government views the dairy industry,” he said.

“At a time when dairy farms in this country are closing in record numbers, the government chooses to attack the cheese industry.”

The Food Standards Agency, whose nutrient profiling model led to cheese being banned under the Ofcom ruling this week, launched a new campaign to raise awareness of the importance of eating less salty foods.