Cheesehead obscured on Wis. anti-cheese billboard

ST. FRANCIS, Wis. — A physicians’ group that paid for an anti-cheese billboard along a Wisconsin highway says the image of a foam cheesehead has been obscured after the product’s manufacturer threatened legal action.

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine paid for the billboard near Green Bay. The original design featured the Grim Reaper wearing a foam cheese wedge on his head. The billboard message warns of the health hazards of fat, cholesterol and sodium in cheese.

The image drew complaints from Foamation Inc., the Milwaukee-area maker of foam hats and other novelties. The company said it didn’t want to be associated with something that disparages cheese.

Dr. Neal Barnard is the president of the physicians’ group. He says the group stands by the image but its billboard vendor caved to Foamation’s threat.