Banning the Baked Bean Advert

Photo: By Linda Spashett

There are times when I despair at the growth of the whining indulged in by those with nothing better to do. There's always somebody with a bleeding complaint about something that most of us could not give a jot about.

Tiny numbers of people complain about this programme or that one rather than simply turn the channel over(and there are lots to choose from even if the viewer only has Freeview) or (heaven forbid) even turn the television off and read a book.

Now the snowflake brigade has turned it's attention to an advert by Heinz Baked Beans. The BBC reports:

A Heinz beans advert showing how to beat out a song on tin cans has been banned for health and safety reasons.

The advertisement featured young people and adults using empty or full tins to make the rhythm of a song, with the catchline "#Learn the CanSong".

The Advertising Standards Authority ruled that mistakes might be made that could lead to people cutting their hands or fingers.

Kraft Heinz denied that the advertising campaign posed a risk.

And Just how many people complained?

Three viewers complained that the TV advert could encourage unsafe practice and six believed it featured behaviour that could be dangerous for children to copy.
Ridiculous.

The Health & Safety Executive were forced to point out:

"It does look like the term health and safety has been used incorrectly here".

"We would hope the public realise there are absolutely no regulations preventing children from playing with empty sealed tin cans.

"One thing kids never lack is imagination to invent their own games with the simplest of props. Obviously if a child is playing with a jagged edge on a tin container there is a risk of injury, but we would hope parents manage that risk."

Kids of my generation used two tin cans joined with a taut piece of string as a toy phone. Don't remember getting injured, but then we used to climb up trees and got up to all sorts of stuff without doing too much damage to ourselves...

Methinks people worry far too much these days. But really it took just just nine snowflakes to get an advert banned that was watched by millions.

Here's a song about from a time when we didn't worry about such things....