Supermarket refuses to sell pregnant woman cheese

Pregnant Janet Lehain has criticised supermarket staff who refused to sell her a block of Cheddar cheese because it was too ''dangerous''.

Ms Lehain, from Bedford, had to lie and promise she would not eat the cheese herself before the Sainsbury's deli counter worker allowed her to buy it. Pregnant with her third child, she said the bizarre conversation in the supermarket in Fairfield Park, Clapham, was an affront to common sense.

In a formal letter of complaint she said: ''It was the most patronising encounter I have had the misfortune of experiencing in a long time and made worse by the fact it was entirely unexpected given the seemingly simple task.



''She told me how lucky my generation of pregnant women are to have such information available to them because this was not the case 'in her day'. I could only respond by saying that I thought pregnant women in the past were probably a whole lot less stressed and guilt-ridden as a result.

''How ridiculous that I had to openly lie in order to buy a piece of cheese. It is not the job of a supermarket to tell people what they should or not be eating. Indeed if the Government in its wisdom has made supermarkets guardians of public health without me noticing, then I should like to leave the country now.''

Supermarket bosses have now admitted the member of staff got it wrong - and pregnant women are only advised to avoid eating soft unripened cheeses.