Dairylea (cheese)
Encyclopedia
Kraft Foods
Dairylea Triangles, Dairylea Lunchables, and Dairylea Dunkers are a popular processed cheese product, available in the United Kingdom
and the Republic of Ireland
.
Dairylea is usually in the form of a thick, spreadable soft cheese-flavoured paste. Famous for the slogans "Kids will eat it until the cows come home" and "Kids will do anything for the taste of Dairylea" and a series of adverts on UK television showing children trading toys and other items of value, or doing dares such as running into the opposite sex's toilets and holding a snail on the arm, for Dairylea Triangles.
Much like The Laughing Cow
, Dairylea is packaged in a cardboard 'wheel' and opening it reveals the foil-wrapped soft cheese product in triangles. Kraft launched the Lunchables
product in 1998 under the Dairylea branding. Kraft also markets single slices of processed cheese (much like Kraft Singles
), string cheese (similar to Cheesestrings), snacks consisting of cheese spread dip and snacks such as breadsticks, baked crisps and Ritz crackers and wax-sealed hard cheese portions (similar to Babybel
) under this brand. Dairylea also now comes in both its original form and a 'Dairylea Light' product marketed as 7% fat. Kraft imply that the product is credited with getting children more interested in cheese.
Packaging, in late 2011 a number of health concerns were highlighted by consumers to Dairylea in relation to their packaging using Bisphenol A, a controversial hormone mimicking plastic additive, which Breast Cancer UK are currently campaigning against. Concerns were initially raised when customers noticed the plastic marker number 7 in a triangle on the pots of dairylea Jumbo Tubes, this conflicts with what www.nomorebpa.org.uk advise; "The vast majority of these studies have raised public health concerns, especially about the exposure of very young children to BPA as they are less able to eliminate the chemical from their bodies, and scientists have linked exposure to increased risk of breast cancer as well as many other chronic diseases."
In the early 21st century, Dairylea Lunchables were advertised as being "full of good stuff", though the product contains high amounts of salt and saturated fats. Despite a 2007 reformulation that reduced salt content by 9% and saturated fat content by 34%, the claim "full of good stuff" was banned by the UK's Advertising Standards Authority
.
Kraft meanwhile stated that the salt content in Lunchables had been reduced by a third between 2005 and 2007.
In November 2008 it was found by the Food Commission, an independent consumer watchdog group, that Kraft Dairylea contained high levels of 3-MCPD
, a suspected human carcinogen
.
Kraft Foods
Kraft Foods Inc. is an American confectionery, food and beverage conglomerate. It markets many brands in more than 170 countries. 12 of its brands annually earn more than $1 billion worldwide: Cadbury, Jacobs, Kraft, LU, Maxwell House, Milka, Nabisco, Oscar Mayer, Philadelphia, Trident, Tang...
Dairylea Triangles, Dairylea Lunchables, and Dairylea Dunkers are a popular processed cheese product, available in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
.
Dairylea is usually in the form of a thick, spreadable soft cheese-flavoured paste. Famous for the slogans "Kids will eat it until the cows come home" and "Kids will do anything for the taste of Dairylea" and a series of adverts on UK television showing children trading toys and other items of value, or doing dares such as running into the opposite sex's toilets and holding a snail on the arm, for Dairylea Triangles.
Much like The Laughing Cow
The Laughing Cow
The Laughing Cow is a brand of cheese products made by Fromageries Bel, and in particular refers to the brand's most popular product, the spreadable wedge.-The product:...
, Dairylea is packaged in a cardboard 'wheel' and opening it reveals the foil-wrapped soft cheese product in triangles. Kraft launched the Lunchables
Lunchables
Lunchables are a line of instant children's meals manufactured by Kraft Foods, Inc. They are marketed under the Oscar Mayer brand in the United States and Dairylea in the United Kingdom. Many Lunchables products are produced at Kraft Foods, Inc.'s Fullerton factory in Fullerton, California, and are...
product in 1998 under the Dairylea branding. Kraft also markets single slices of processed cheese (much like Kraft Singles
Kraft Singles
Kraft Singles is a processed cheese product manufactured and sold by Kraft Foods, introduced in 1949 . Kraft Singles is a pasteurized cheese product manufactured and sold by Kraft Foods, introduced in 1947...
), string cheese (similar to Cheesestrings), snacks consisting of cheese spread dip and snacks such as breadsticks, baked crisps and Ritz crackers and wax-sealed hard cheese portions (similar to Babybel
Babybel
Babybel is a brand of cheese sold internationally. The Bel Group introduced Babybel in 1952 and in 1977 Mini Babybel was launched in France. In 1979, Mini Babybel was launched in the U.S. under the Laughing Cow umbrella brand. As of 2011, Mini Babybel is eaten in North America, South America,...
) under this brand. Dairylea also now comes in both its original form and a 'Dairylea Light' product marketed as 7% fat. Kraft imply that the product is credited with getting children more interested in cheese.
Packaging, in late 2011 a number of health concerns were highlighted by consumers to Dairylea in relation to their packaging using Bisphenol A, a controversial hormone mimicking plastic additive, which Breast Cancer UK are currently campaigning against. Concerns were initially raised when customers noticed the plastic marker number 7 in a triangle on the pots of dairylea Jumbo Tubes, this conflicts with what www.nomorebpa.org.uk advise; "The vast majority of these studies have raised public health concerns, especially about the exposure of very young children to BPA as they are less able to eliminate the chemical from their bodies, and scientists have linked exposure to increased risk of breast cancer as well as many other chronic diseases."
In the early 21st century, Dairylea Lunchables were advertised as being "full of good stuff", though the product contains high amounts of salt and saturated fats. Despite a 2007 reformulation that reduced salt content by 9% and saturated fat content by 34%, the claim "full of good stuff" was banned by the UK's Advertising Standards Authority
Advertising Standards Authority (United Kingdom)
The Advertising Standards Authority is the self-regulatory organisation of the advertising industry in the United Kingdom. The ASA is a non-statutory organisation and so cannot interpret or enforce legislation. However, its code of advertising practice broadly reflects legislation in many instances...
.
Kraft meanwhile stated that the salt content in Lunchables had been reduced by a third between 2005 and 2007.
In November 2008 it was found by the Food Commission, an independent consumer watchdog group, that Kraft Dairylea contained high levels of 3-MCPD
3-MCPD
3-MCPD or is an organic chemical compound which is carcinogenic and highly suspected to be genotoxic in humans, has male anti-fertility effects, and is a chemical byproduct which may be formed in foods, the most commonly found member of chemical contaminants known as chloropropanols.It is...
, a suspected human carcinogen
Carcinogen
A carcinogen is any substance, radionuclide, or radiation that is an agent directly involved in causing cancer. This may be due to the ability to damage the genome or to the disruption of cellular metabolic processes...
.