‘53 tonnes of cheese will be given to charitable
organisations to distribute as part of an EU scheme.’
RTE News November 2010
After recognising the state of the
financial situation the Irish Government decided to take swift action. Citizens
‘most in need’ were overjoyed to wake up to find little bundles of Babybel joy
on their doorsteps, just in time for Christmas. At the time, Minister Brendan Smith
confidently assured the nation that “the
scheme would also promote the use, value, and importance of nutritional dairy
products”.
It is now obvious that their
plan at the time was to subdue the people with cheese. Perhaps if we ate enough,
we would become so cheesed off our faces and too lethargic to kick-up a fuss about
the state of the financial crisis. Maybe, over the next few months, we would become
so dependent on free cheese, that we would re-elect Fianna Fail, who would continue to
feed the nation’s new disgusting habit.
It almost worked. After
all, Irish people struggle to do anything in moderation, especially when it is in abundant
supply. Drinking, talking depressingly about the weather, and generally complaining
about everything just for the sake of it, to name a few examples. And now, after 16 months, cheese has become a scourge
on the youth of the nation. It was the late Wizard of Oz actress Billie Burke that
famously said ‘Age is something that doesn't
matter, unless you are a cheese’. Perhaps she was correct. Cheese has no age limitation on the lives
it chooses to destroy. The
cheese-fest of November 2010 has created a nation of selfish, gluttonous, cheese
addicted scumbags. Children and teenagers openly flaunt their cheese-strings in
public parks; middle-aged men snort parmesan in nightclubs and bars; while at
home, their cheese addicted toddlers suffer nasty finger injuries picking cheese
from mouse-traps.
‘Addicted’
But how did cheese
become such a prevalent habit with Irish consumers, especially the younger
generation? The short answer is that it hasn’t. However, the broadcasting authority's new mandate, that is proposed to regulate the advertising of HFSS (High Fat, Salt and Sugar) products, means that Political and nutritional correctness has led to a subjugation of
the health benefits of cheese, placing it into the category of being unhealthy
- or at least, this is what the companies and marketers are claiming a new broadcasting watershed would imply. As is
always the case when there seems to be an undetermined problem, the best
solution is to point the finger somewhere. As the problem involves children, it's common-sense to point the finger at Television and the ‘evil’ HFSS food companies.
One could argue that this is another
case of a ‘nanny state gone mad’ and perhaps an exemption can be made for
cheese advertisers in the proposed BAI mandate, considering the health benefits
it provides against osteoporosis, dental health, and calcium deficiencies.
Last September, IFA
National Dairy Committee Chairman Kevin Kiersey, regarded the BAI proposals as
misleading and confusing for parents, and there appears to be a belief among
marketers that the new proposal will demonise healthy foods such as cheese (similar
to the exaggeration in the first half of this Blog). The chairman also stressed
how the National Dairy Council has shown no relationship between consumption of
cheese by under-18’s – and obesity in that group. According to the Irish
Independent, Shane Dempsey, a spokesman for the Irish Breakfast Cereal
Association (IBCA) also hit-out at the new advertising standards, stating "Eating breakfast contributes to
cognitive performance and improves concentration’.
It is controversial for the BAI to classify cheese
into the HFSS category when it comes to advertising standards, however, it is also
casual for marketers to undermine parents as being naive consumers, who will completely re-evaluate their nutritional beliefs of cheese and other HFSS foods overnight, because
new advertising legislation seeks to weigh the airtime exposure that certain
products receive. I am certain that cheese and most other dairy products will
maintain their status in the food pyramid for decades to come, regardless of
how authorities dictate their exposure in the media.
Given the fact that humans are not suitably
designed to eat dairy in the first place, it is interesting how we have adapted
as a species to consume and enjoy it, also acknowledging the good and the bad things it does for us. Marketers should also have the same forte to be innovative
and adapt to the new legislation. The aim of the Children’s Commercial
Communications Code is to ensure that commercial communications protects the interests
to children, specifically those broadcast during children’s programmes. It will
be interesting to see if a new watershed in HFSS advertising will produce a frail,
calcium deficient, turophobic generation of youths. Rather unlikely.
The portrayal of cheese – Healthy, truthful, good-looking or all of the above ?
The sad truth is that it will not only be advertisers and broadcasters who will need to alter their approach. Future legislation coming into effect later this year will also have a significant impact on the retail and hospitality industries.
Children’s programming
containing strong connotations of cheese will be subject to a 6pm watershed.Legislation
in effect January 2013.
Wallace & Gromit:
Proposed on the spot fines for parents who encourage their children under the age of 6 to say 'cheese' when taking family photos. Legislation in affect April 2013.
Packaging
of some cheeses will carry health warnings with sinister images of the physical
damages it causes. Legislation in affect April 2011.
Similar to the move introduced for cigarette
quantity per package, Easy-Single cheeses will only be made available in larger
packs of 16 or 20. Packages of 10 will no longer be circulated. Legislation in affect April 2013.
Designated 'cheese-eating' areas in restaurants. Legislation in affect January 2013.
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