Uber Eats edits star-studded Super Bowl ad after backlash over food allergy insensitivity

A star-studded Uber Eats commercial has caused some controversy for downplaying the seriousness and legitimacy of food allergies. The commercial, which features Jennifer Anniston, David Schwimmer, Usher, Jelly Roll and David and Victoria Beckham involves the celebrities being forgetful about various topics (“Remember when you used to be a ‘Pepper Lady’?” Beckham asks in a pretty middling take on being forgetful about the group named The Spice Girls). The overarching message is “don’t forget Uber Eats.” 

The correlation with food allergies has to do with another character in the commercial who “forgets” his peanut allergy, which some research and activism groups say minimizes the seriousness of peanut allergies and many others like it. The man, who then breaks out in hives as his eye swell shut, says, “There’s peanuts in peanut butter? Oh, it’s the primary ingredient.”

Following the airing of the ad, the Food Allergy Research & Education group issued a statement on social media: “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.”

In responding to the backlash, Uber “did not issue a statement but shared the edited version of the ad,” as per the BBC. FARE responded positively, thanking the company for their swift edit. Uber “will air an alternate version of the spot without the peanut-butter scene in the CBS telecast but currently does not plan to edit or remove the ad previously released online,” according to Variety.