Certain dairy produce can make up a vital part of diet

DAIRY products play a vital role in ensuring the average person in the South West has a balanced diet.

With the dairy industry under pressure from certain pressure groups that we should universally go vegan, the Food Standards Agency's eatwell plate shows that certain dairy produce is beneficial to the palate.

The eatwell plate is about encouraging people to eat the right amount of food for how active they are and eat a range of foods to ensure they are getting that balanced diet.

A healthy balanced diet includes protein-rich foods such as meat, fish, eggs and lentils; lots of fruit and vegetables and regular helpings of wholemeal bread and wholegrain cereals and a certain amount of milk and dairy produce.

Low fat cheese, natural yoghurt and fromage frais are natural sources of protein and also contain vitamins A and B12. These can be used as alternatives to higher fat products such as crème fraiche, cream or soured cream.

Milk and dairy produce provide an important source of calcium and this is essential for the development of bones, particularly in children.

A spokesman for the FSA is quoted in an article I found: "Don't cut milk and dairy products out of your diet or your child's diet without talking to your GP or a dietician. Otherwise you or your child might not get enough of important nutrients such as calcium."

The agency recommends that pregnant mums avoid unpasteurised cheeses such as Camembert, Brie and soft blue cheeses as they have high levels of listeria.

When a dairy product has been pasteurised, it has gone through a process of heat treatment to kill harmful food poisoning bacteria.

The agency also revealed that where milk is not a staple ingredient in some cultures, there is a higher percentage of lactose intolerance. In some parts of Asia it is 100 per cent but in Northern Europe and North America, it is only five per cent.

The FSA seems to have earned its stripes above other quangos and has avoided being obliterated by planned public sector cuts.

The agency is to now focus all its attention on ensuring food safety for the public. Other responsibilities such as nutritional policy and food labelling are to be farmed out to the Department for Health and Defra.

The magazine Which has expressed its concerns that food labelling is an issue that should stay under the remit of the FSA.

Chief executive Peter Vicary-Smith said: "The FSA has revolutionised the way food issues are handled in the UK, so we're pleased these changes can ensure it can continue to independently monitor food safety.

"Unfortunately, some issues that would be best handled by the FSA have been moved to other departments.

"With these changes the Government must ensure that the interests of consumers remain at the heart of food policy."

Whilst we all have freewill as to what we drink and eat, it is worth noting the agency's recommendations on maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

The agency advises that breakfast should not be skipped; that daily salt intake should be no more than 6g; drink 1.2 litres of water a day; base meals on starchy foods; consume five pieces of fruit a day and have two servings of oily fish on a weekly basis.

Missing breakfast doesn't ensure that would-be slimmers will lose weight but actually puts their health at risk as they are missing out on the nutrients that cereals such as muesli, Alpen and branflakes will provide.

A former chairman of the Somerset NFU, Simon Wetherall, once said in this newspaper that "you are what you eat". I couldn't agree with him more.