Eggstreme Daftness

There are degrees of daftness that are so, well daft, that they should become a new form of  reality TV called ‘Extreme Daftness’. The following comes from a news item on my AOL browser. I cannot think of anything to say that comes anywhere near the gobsmacked astonishment with which I read this. Please don’t read on if you are allergic to extreme daftness.

Re-runs of a well-known television commercial from the 1950s which instructed viewers to "Go to work on an egg" have been banned. Standards watchdogs say they do not encourage a balanced diet.

The Egg Information Service, set up by the industry to provide information and answer questions about eggs, had wanted to screen the advert, which featured legendary comedian Tony Hancock, to mark its 50th birthday. But the Broadcast Advertising Clearance Centre (BACC), which regulates advertising standards and practice, blocked screening of the adverts on the grounds that they did not comply with Ofcom rules about promoting a varied diet.

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 on GMTV on Wednesday morning:

"We are not questioning the effect it would have on your health. Our role is to ensure that advertising that goes on television is in compliance with the act. It's quite clear from the act that they should be presented as part of a balanced diet."

British Egg Information Service spokeswoman Amanda Cryer told BBC Online: "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. In addition, many other advertisers clearly promote their products to be eaten every day such as breakfast cereals so we are very surprised that eggs have been singled out in this way."

I have since sent the following email to abovementioned Kristoffer Hammer:

Dear Kristoffer

I really did think it was April 1 when I read the news item about the ban on the 'Go to work on an egg' advert. Now I understand the reasons for the legislation, the regulations, the guidelines, and the need to make decisions that are consistent across the board and congruent with the purpose of said legislation, regulation and guidelines. But.

What kind of anachronism is being perpetrated when a 50 year old advert is banned because it falls foul of a regulation introduced half a century later? Is it seriosuly suggested that an audience is likely to overload on eggs because juice and toast aren't included? And in any case why are breakfast cereal adverts not banned as they are even less of a balanced meal? Do you not think that there are times when rigid literalism turns good guidelines into daft rules that actually work against what they first intended?

I'm at a loss for words that a responsible agency could ever make such a wrong call. Am I missing something here? Please explain further if I have,

Yours in genuine if mystified sincerity,

So I await a reply - will keep you posted!

Comments

[Graham]

Eggstremely silly! And these people no doubt get paid vast amounts of money to make these decisions!

By the way, did you mean the pun when you wrote about the advert falling "foul" of the regulation??

[jim gordon]

Hello there Graham - no the pun was entirely innocent till you spotted it. Hope you are enjoying your new ministry - maybe we'll meet up soon?