The latest Uber Eats Super Bowl commercial has some people talking.
On Feb. 6, TODAY exclusively revealed the food delivery service’s new ad that features “Friends” co-stars Jennifer Aniston and David Schwimmer, as well as David and Victoria Beckham, Jelly Roll and Usher. The premise is a running joke about their forgetfulness as Uber Eats reminds viewers that its services go beyond food.
Now, a portion of the spot has prompted backlash from the Food Allergy & Research Education (FARE) organization, a non-profit organization focused on food allergy awareness.
During one scene, a man is seen eating a spoonful of peanut butter out of a jar while reading the label.
“There’s peanuts in peanut butter?” he asks while his face is showing signs of an allergic reaction with one eye swelling and his skin breaking out in hives. “Oh, it’s the primary ingredient.”
“It’s not good to make light of forgetting any food ingredients given the severity of life-threatening food allergies that affect millions of children and adults,” Dr. Purvi Parikh, an allergist and immunologist with the Allergy & Asthma Network, tells TODAY.com via email. “Deaths occur due to these ‘forgotten ingredients’ and exposures, most recently … an NYC dancer who died because peanut was not disclosed as an ingredient.”
Uber Eats allergy commercial draws controversy
FARE released a statement on social media Feb. 7 expressing its disappointment in the joke.
“We are incredibly disappointed by Uber Eats use of life-threatening food allergies as humor in its Super Bowl ad. The suffering of 33M+ Americans with this condition is no joke,” the statement reads on Instagram. “Life-threatening food allergy is a disease, not a diet. Tell @ubereats and @nfl that enough is enough. 📣 Awareness is key to driving change!”
In an additional statement, FARE CEO Dr. Sung Poblete said: “We ask the entertainment industry and the sports industry to watch FARE’s documentary and learn why this disease is so…
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