Dairylea pulls cream pie ‘splat’ advert amid fears for children with allergies

♦ Dairylea has pulled a “food fight” advert after parents of children with severe allergies raised their concerns.

The food company published a series of tweets suggesting dares – or “Dareyleas” – including that children should “splat one in a friend’s face”. It was illustrated with a picture of a girl holding a cream pie.

However, the stunt was condemned as irresponsible by parents including Rina Cheema, whose 13-year-old son died after cheese was thrown at him in school. Karanbir Cheema suffered a fatal reaction in west London in 2017.

Karen Massey, from Southend, Essex, whose 11-year-old daughter is also severely allergic to dairy products, complained directly to Dairylea.

A company spokesman said: “We understand people’s concerns and always take our advertising responsibility very seriously. It was not our intention to cause offence.”

Dairylea has withdrawn an advertisement that shows a woman with what looks like custard pie on her face. The ad included a dare to “splat one in a friend’s face”. It was meant lightheartedly. But a couple of years ago a teenager died after cheese was thrown at him. It was not Dairylea. Indeed, some people do not realise that Dairylea is cheese, despite the hint of the name and the cow on the box-lid. The word cheese does not figure on the main label of “Dairylea 16 Triangles (a good source of calcium)”. Some might take it for plant feed, others for an alternative to Blu-tack. But cheese it is. That makes it dangerous to those allergic to it. Yet even if Dairylea were inert, odourless, tasteless and softer than rose petals, it would not be a good idea for children to splat it in a friend’s face. Cheese calls for courteous treatment.