Uber Eats is making changes to its Super Bowl commercial following criticism for featuring a joke about dangerous peanut allergies. The star-studded TV ad, centered around a theme of forgetfulness, includes a brief scene showing a man with a swollen face and hives from a potential peanut allergy.
Advocacy groups, including Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE), condemned the ad for trivializing the serious risks associated with food allergies. FARE reported that Uber has agreed to air the ad without the reference to peanut allergies after facing backlash on social media.
The ad, scheduled for the third quarter of the Super Bowl game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs, also features celebrities like Jennifer Aniston, David and Victoria Beckham, and musician Jelly Roll, each forgetting various details in a humorous context.
While the commercial aims for humor, critics argue that it downplays the increasing prevalence of food allergies among Americans. Dr. Purvi Parikh, an allergist and immunologist, emphasized the severity of food allergies, citing recent incidents such as the tragic death of a professional dancer due to an allergic reaction to mislabeled food.
The alteration to the Uber Eats commercial comes in response to concerns raised by individuals and advocacy groups, highlighting the importance of raising awareness about life-threatening food allergies in a responsible manner.
