CHEESE merchants have hit back at new rules that brand the dairy product a junk food' that shouldn't be advertised while children are watching television.

New regulations being introduced by television regulator Ofcom are clamping down on advertising campaigns for foods that are high in fat, salt and sugar in a bid to fight childhood obesity.

Research from the Food Standards Agency, using a nutrient profiling model, marked cheese as a junk food that is more unhealthy than sugary cereals, crisps and cheeseburgers.

As a result, adverts for cheese - along with Marmite, Jaffa Cakes, chicken nuggets, pizza, hamburgers and chocolate - will now be barred from the air during children's programmes.

William Slinger, director of Bowland Fresh in Gisburn, said the decision had come at a bad time for local dairy farmers. He added: "The last 12 months have been hard for milk producers, because of fallings prices, and this may not help matters. These regulations are aimed at getting rid of fast foods adverts, but cheese seems to have fallen foul of the rules."

The company is bringing out its own range of cheese in the next few months. Mr Slinger continued: "At the end of the day people are perfectly capable of making their own choices when it comes to their diet."

The British Cheese Board have slammed the FSA's decision, arguing that the research was carried out on cheese weighing 100g - when a normal serving would only be around 30-40g.

Steven Knowles, owner of the Crumbly Cheese Deli at Oswaldtwistle Mills, said: "This decision amazes me. Cheese is an excellent source of calcium and protein which are very important to children as they grow.

"Cheese helps promote strong bones and teeth - you can't compare it to eating sugary sweets or crisps."

Mr Knowles's shop sells more than 50 different types of cheeses, 10 of which come from farms across Lancashire.

He added: "Lancashire has a very strong history of cheese making.

Our suppliers use fresh ingredients so the final product is as healthy as it can be.

"It will be a different story with processed cheeses, and parents should remember that everything should be eaten in moderation."

Foods that can still be advertised include frozen oven chips, chocolate flavoured milk and lasagne ready meals.