At last some encouraging news for the breakfast cereal category. When we discovered that 80% of cereals, including Bran Flakes, Special K, Cheerios, Corn Flakes and even porridge, would be banned by Ofcom from advertising on TV to children using the FSA's Nutrient Profiling Model, it inspired us to launch our Weigh It Up! campaign calling for a review.

One year on, and an expert panel has proposed an alteration to the 'protein cap'. I won't bore you with the details here (see page 4), but suffice to say a number of breakfast cereals, including Bran Flakes and Special K, could potentially be freed to advertise again.

This potential change is important for two reasons: first, it would end the folly of banning cereals that are high in fruit and fibre. Second it would mean that for the first time the NPM could potentially encourage and reward reformulation in this category. So, even though six of the top 10 selling breakfast cereals would still be banned (compared with seven at present), the industry would have something to aim at. And the same applies to the bagged snacks category, where Walkers Lights, Simply Salted, could also escape the ad ban if the protein cap is lifted.

This encouragement is vital if the food manufacturers' multi-million pound budgets are to be engaged, as they could and should be, in helping kids to understand nutrition and to eat healthily.

Alas, such an olive branch does not appear to have been offered to cheese, Marmite, honey, raisins or, for that matter, olive oil, which is why we believe the NPM is still as full of holes as a low-fat Emmental. Incidentally, I learn that Weetabix Fruit and Nut could be reprieved under the new proposals. Yet Weetabix is already free to advertise. The current problem with the variant? It's those fattening raisins.

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