Uber Eats responds to backlash over its Super Bowl ad, announced it will edit out a scene featuring a man's peanut allergy after facing criticism from advocacy groups and social media users for making a 'joke' out of a sensitive life-threatening condition.
Uber Eats announced it would edit its latest Super Bowl commercial following backlash and criticism over a perceived joke about a man's peanut allergy. Titled "Don't Forget Uber Eats," the ad stars David and Victoria Beckham, along with actors Jennifer Aniston and David Schwimmer, revolving around the theme of forgetfulness.
The advertisement, produced by creative ad agency Special Group, features everyday individuals making humorous absent-minded mistakes.
In the commercial, Aniston "fails to remember" her former "Friends" co-star's identity, while the Beckhams grapple with recalling the name of Victoria's girl group, the "Spice Girls."
The commercial also shows Jelly Roll attempting to remove tattoos from his face, and Usher forgetting that he had just performed during the halftime show.
However, one scene stood out as unfunny to many: A man eating a spoonful of peanut butter directly from the jar, visibly experiencing hives and swelling in his left eye due to an allergic reaction.
Upon reading the food label, he comments, "There's peanuts in peanut butter? Oh, it's the primary ingredient."
The advertisement faced criticism from the not-for-profit advocacy group Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE). In a statement, they expressed, “We’re incredibly disappointed by @UberEats’ use of life-threatening food allergies as humor in its Super Bowl ad. The suffering of 33M+ Americans with this condition is no joke. Life-threatening food allergy is a disease, not a diet. Enough is enough.”
Although the original Uber Eats advertisement includes a disclaimer of sorts with small-type text beneath the individual experiencing an allergic reaction to peanut butter, stating, “Please please please do not forget there are peanuts in peanut butter,” this measure failed to appease critics.
Many took to social media platforms to express their disbelief and anger. One commenter on X (formerly Twitter) remarked, “You had a really great commercial til the peanut allergy guy.” “How about you switch him out with a guy who forgets he’s diabetic and doesn’t take his insulin, or a soldier who has PTSD and forgets his medication?? Nope those wouldn’t be funny either would they? Edit the commercial.”
Another social media user criticized the commercial, stating that it made it "worse for allergy sufferers" and deeming it "dangerous to make a joke out of a life-threatening allergy."
Food Allergy Canada, a nonprofit organization aiding Canadians with food allergies, emphasized that such conditions are "no joke."
However, Sung Poblete, CEO of FARE, released a statement indicating she had been in communication with a senior Uber Eats executive. According to the food allergy website Allergic Living, the executive informed her that the company would revise the commercial.
"To our entire community, I extend my heartfelt gratitude for making our voices heard. I spoke with Uber today, and they are editing out the reference to the peanut allergy in their Super Bowl commercial," Poblete stated in a video shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Friday.
"Thank you, Uber, for hearing our perspective and becoming a FARE ally," she added. "So glad that this is a win for our food allergy community."