Joe Wicks is facing backlash after launching his new 'Killer' protein bar, but not for the reasons you might think.
The fitness influencer, who became a household name thanks to his daily televised PE lessons during lockdown, unveiled the 'most dangerous health bar' on social media earlier this week, claiming the ingredients can cause 'strokes, cancer, diarrhoea and even death'.
But far from some bizarre marketing plot, the Killer Bar was made as part of a campaign change the laws around food packaging in the UK.
The campaign, launched by Wicks and Professor Chris van Tulleken, a doctor and scientist, is part of a Channel 4 documentary called Joe Wicks: License To Kill, which plans to 'expose the truth of ultra-processed food by carrying out a highly provocative stunt, which they have designed to convince the government into changing our food laws for good.'
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"In the film, Joe learns about the country’s health crisis due to our over-consumption of ultra-processed food - linked to 14 percent of premature deaths in the UK," Channel 4 said in a statement.
"Joe’s Killer protein bar includes notorious ingredients linked to cancer, diarrhoea, stroke and early death, all of which are entirely legal in the UK and commonly found in other products."
However, since launching the bar, which has actually been produced and is available to buy, a number of nutritionists have criticised the stunt.
"I honestly don’t understand how so many registered nutrition professionals with high profiles are backing this. The actual intake and dose of certain ingredients matters, as does the context. I also question the sustainability side tbh, producing and distributing a bar designed not to be consumed feels really unsustainable," one person commented.
"Another thing which is encouraged by many nutrition professionals is there are no good or bad foods, everything in moderation… so why are we scaring people like this? I will keep an open mind and watch the documentary, but please look at your values before jumping so quickly to support this."
Meanwhile, another registered nutritionist branded the campaign 'too far,' while consumers are already contenting with 'a cost of living crisis when people are more confused about food than ever.'
"The risks of demonising UPFs (ultra processed foods) outweigh any benefits of cutting them out, especially when we all know deep down that moderation is key," they added.
A third nutritionist commented, stressing that 'dosage and context is extremely important' when discussing the health risks associated with UPFs.
"If I improve somebody’s overall diet, from eating mostly UPF and have them move towards a single ingredient, whole food diet, yet they include a protein bar, or any chocolate bar for that matter, a few days a week, that is not unhealthy," they wrote.
However controversial, the documentary aims to better inform the public about the contents of products labelled as 'healthy,' with Professor van Tulleken saying this is far from the truth.
"In fact, if a food has a health claim on its packaging, it's pretty much a rule of thumb that it won't actually be good for you. Joe and I are furious about the fact that a product like our bar can be marketed as healthy," he told the Daily Mail.
"He and I deliberately made our bar as unhealthy as we could, using all perfectly legal ingredients, to ask this simple question: why don't foods that we know are harmful to health carry warning labels?"
Topics: Health, Food And Drink
Emma Rosemurgey