Paul Hollywood Apologizes for ‘Thoughtless’ Remark Calling a Dessert ‘Diabetes on a Plate’

October 25, 2019 Admin 0 Comments

Plus, the first-ever White Castle in Arizona attracted wildly long lines on opening day, and more news to start your day

Paul Hollywood apologizes for calling a dessert “diabetes on a plate”

Blue-eyed menace and giver of congratulatory handshakes Paul Hollywood has apologized for calling a sweet dessert on the Great British Bake Off “diabetes on a plate” in an episode that just aired this week. The apology followed criticism from U.K. viewers that the GBBO judge’s remark was both insensitive and ignorant of a condition that affects many.

A consultant for the National Health Service, the publicly funded national healthcare system for the U.K., even tweeted at Hollywood, asking him to “avoid making jokes about diabetes” and offering to discuss the different types of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes can develop at any age, particularly in childhood, and is not the result of sugar intake; type 2, which tends to develop later in life, is linked to lifestyle and dietary choices.

In response, the GBBO judge wrote on Instagram: “a remark re:- diabetes I made on tonight’s show was thoughtless and I meant no harm, as both my grandad and my own mother suffer/ suffered from diabetes ... apologies X”

This isn’t the first time a GBBO judge has attracted criticism for an ill-advised turn of phrase: Prue Leith, who replaced Mary Berry in recent seasons of the show, regularly repeats the expression “worth the calories” (as in: “is it worth the calories?”), to some viewers’ discontent.

And in other news…

• Delivery app DoorDash has added a temporary plant-based filter to allow users to search for restaurants that serve Impossible Meat. [NRN]
• Arizona’s first-ever White Castle — the largest physical store to date — opened in Arizona on Wednesday and sold out within 24 hours, as customers reported two-hour waits and ordered sliders by the hundreds. [The Takeout]
• Kellogg has agreed to stop marketing their sugary cereals — such as Raisin Bran and Frosted Mini-Wheats — as “healthy” and “nutritious,” as part of a $31 million settlement with plaintiffs who accused the company of using false advertising to promote high-sugar products. [New Food Economy]
• Chinese regulators want American pork producers to stop using feed additives in raising hogs. [Modern Farmer]
• Chipotle’s annual Halloween “Boorito” deal (show up to Chipotle in a costume after 3 p.m., get a burrito bowl for $4) comes with an additional TikTok contest this year, making Chipotle among the first of the food brands — along with Kind bar — to start hawking its wares on the teen-oriented video platform. [Business Insider]
• Why fried chicken sandwiches are everywhere in fast food now. [CNN]
• Inside the secret life of an anonymous Michelin restaurant inspector. [Forbes]
• Just in time for Halloween, Green America released its 2019 Chocolate Scorecard, which ranks chocolate producers according to criteria like “efforts to end deforestation.” [Fast Company]

• All AM Intel Coverage [E]