Member Article

Classic ad banned over diet fears

Re-runs of a famous TV commercial from the 1950s which urged viewers to “Go to work on an egg” have been banned by standards watchdogs. The Broadcast Advertising Clearance Centre, which polices the rules on what can be shown, claims the adverts do not encourage a balanced diet. But egg experts say eggs have been unfairly singled out. The advert features legendary comedian Tony Hancock and actress Patricia Hayes and the Egg Information Service wanted to screen it to mark its 50th birthday.

BACC spokesman Kristoffer Hammer said it was not a question of whether an egg a day would cause any harm - but that it should be served with fruit juice or toast. He said it was purely his organisation’s role to make sure that adverts complied with the regulations and insisted: “We are not questioning the effect it would have on your health.”

Amanda Cryer, spokeswoman for the British Egg Information Service, said: “We have been shocked by this ruling as eggs are a healthy, natural food which are recommended by nutritionists. What’s more, there are no restrictions on the number of eggs people can eat, which was recently confirmed by the Food Standards Agency, and between five and seven eggs a week would be totally acceptable for most people.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .