Israeli dairy producer Tnuva has pulled a new television commercial that poked fun at children who ate nutritious foods after the ad sparked a wave of public backlash.
The ad shows schoolchildren comparing their morning snacks. Children who were given fruit, nuts, or vegetables are glum, and they try to trade the contents of their lunchboxes with the only child in class who was happy with his lot – the one who was given a Yoplait yogurt push-up pop.
The commercial angered the Coalition for a Healthy Lifestyle, which serves as an umbrella group for dozens of health and lifestyle groups.
"Are we talking about a real clip based on a horrifying ad strategy of mocking and ridiculing a poor kid who brings a healthy snack?" coalition chairman Professor Itamar Raz wrote in a letter to Tnuva CEO Eyal Melis.
The controversy over the ad highlighted the need to implement existing Health Ministry guidelines for food advertising, which are not enforced. A Health Ministry committee has already decided that the ages targeted by food commercials should be restricted and that advertisers should not use animated images to promote food. In the controversial commercial, the yogurt snack features the image of Superman.
Tnuva said in response to the protest that "the commercial is humorous and not intended to offend, but rather to emphasize the variety children expect in their school snacks. We espouse a healthy, balanced diet and we apologize if the message was understood otherwise."
