A woman has demanded Sainsbury’s changes the ‘sexist’ name of a steak product, arguing that it is ‘wildly inappropriate’.
Rose Robinson, 38, noticed the steak when she visited the Sainsbury’s in North Walsham, Norfolk, on 23 March to grab a few bits and bobs.
But she was outraged when she clocked the name of the meat.
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Robinson said she then went to the customer service desk – not to complain, just to offer some feedback on the branding.
The name in question? ‘Big Daddy Beef Rump'.
The mum-of-three sees using gender to market food as ‘wrong and unnecessary’, and believes there are other ways its large size could have been indicated.
Robinson was so angry that she reactivated a dormant Facebook account to urge Sainsbury’s to ‘rethink and do better’, but claims she didn’t receive a response from the supermarket.
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After receiving backlash herself, she claimed she is the ‘least Karen-like' person, but simply felt the need to speak out as the branding didn’t sit right with her.
Sainsbury’s has since said it strives to be an inclusive retailer, and that customer feedback is important to the company, which ‘regularly reviews ranges in line with this’.
However, the supermarket chain also pointed out that the name is one also used by other retailers.
Robinson, of Norwich in Norfolk, said: "A 'big daddy' steak is still on the shelves in Sainsbury's supermarket in 2023, it just felt wrong and unnecessary.
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"I got home and thought 'oh gosh, have I overreacted?' and looked up 'big daddy' in the urban dictionary to try and gauge a common understanding of the term and it doesn't even just relate to a masculine power boss, there's actually a sexual prowess meaning to it.
"One of the terms, forgive me for speaking freely, that came up on the top of the Google search was referencing someone who is 'good with his wood'.
"I just felt that it was unnecessary. There's so many ways it could have been named that would have equally communicated the super-sized nature of this particular product.
"It just felt wildly inappropriate and I just wasn't comfortable with it.”
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Robinson said she felt ‘shocked’ and ‘disappointed’, saying ‘supersized steak’ would have achieved the same impact.
“It doesn't have to be something that's so negative and potentially sexist and misogynistic in nature,” she said.
"I've had the obvious Karen comment from someone who obviously feels that that's appropriate or funny, I'm not sure.
"It's dismissive, it's an implication that I'm just causing a fuss about nothing. Karen nowadays is commonly accepted as a term for someone who gets easily offended by things when there's much bigger issues in the world.
"I'm the least Karen-like person I know, honestly. It's come from someone on the internet that doesn't know the first thing about me."
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After heading to customer service, she claims one staff member ironically told her they weren’t allowed to say ‘ladies and gentleman’ over the tannoy for fear of offending someone, before she was advised to complete an online feedback form.
Instead, she posted on Facebook, but doesn’t think the supermarket ‘even noticed it’.
"I think the lack of response has certainly made me feel again, a little bit disappointed,” Robinson continued.
“I'm shocked and horrified that I'm probably the only person that has brought it to their attention and I really don't feel like that's an overreaction on my part.
"'Big daddy' - it says it all doesn't it? My understanding is that it was called that to emphasise its supersized nature and it just felt like it was probably marketed more towards appealing to a man, than a woman. It certainly didn't appeal to me.
"I just feel like anything that's sold as a generic food type, with reference to a gender, is just not necessary. We all eat - male, female, or whatever you identify as nowadays. I just don't think that gender needs to come anywhere into the playing field when marketing food.”
While Robinson felt ‘small things on their own like this’ might not be ‘world-changing’, she noted how ‘lots of small little moments or influence’ can create a ‘bigger picture’.
"I think it should just be renamed,” she added.
“I'm not saying they should pull the ones there, food waste is a huge issue among many other things, but I certainly think that the packaging that's made from this point forward should perhaps be renamed."
A Sainsbury’s spokesperson said: "We strive to be a truly inclusive retailer where people love to work and shop. Customer feedback is important to us and we regularly review ranges in line with this."
LADbible has reached out to Sainsbury's for further comment.
Topics: UK News, Food And Drink, Sainsbury's
Jess Hardiman