IRVINE, Calif., February 8, 2024 — Food Allergy Grades — a California 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to making it easier for people with food allergies to navigate life, is disheartened by Uber Eats’ choice to produce a Super Bowl commercial that pokes fun at people with severe food allergies. In a statement released today, the organization’s Co-founder and CEO Katerina Tolkachev expressed disappointment and hope.

“While we are disappointed in Uber Eats' poor choice of ‘humor’ involving peanut allergies in a Super Bowl commercial that is estimated to be seen by hundreds of millions of people, many of whom are impressionable children,” said Tolkachev, “we hope this becomes a learning experience for corporate America, and that something positive comes out of it.”

The Super Bowl ad by Uber Eats contains a scene of a man who is visibly showing signs of anaphylaxis (a deadly allergic reaction) stating that he forgot peanut butter contains peanuts, as he's eating out of a jar of peanut butter. 

This is a disturbing scene to millions of Americans (and others around the world) with food allergies, and sadly ironic as one of the biggest stars of the Super Bowl, Patrick Mahomes, has a son who recently had a severe allergic reaction due to a peanut allergy. Since then, his wife Brittany Mahomes has become a spokesperson for OLWYN and FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education).

“Every time a company or celebrity makes fun of food allergies, it burns bridges rather than builds them,” continued Tolkachev. “The Uber Eats Super Bowl commercial is an unfortunate example of this. Food Allergy Grades is working to change this toxic cycle."

The unfortunate timing of this commercial also comes on the heels of the tragic death of a young NYC dancer, Orla Baxendale, who had a peanut allergy and died after eating cookies that were not labeled properly. She did not "forget" to check the ingredient label, but still died because it did not disclose that the cookies contained peanuts. This shows the devastating impact of food allergies and demonstrates why making fun or light of them is not only mean spirited, but also dangerous to public consumers.

"We need to connect the food allergy community with corporate America in a positive way that reduces hostilities and seeks solutions that protect allergic consumers while ensuring businesses can still enjoy their profits,” added Tolkachev. “That means opening up lines of communication, creating a meaningful dialogue, and respecting each other. We hope this incident can serve as a catalyst for positive change.”

ABOUT FOOD ALLERGY GRADES

Food Allergy Grades is a CA 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded and run by students dedicated to making it easier for people with food allergies to navigate life. It aims to do that by building an app where people can rate or "grade" businesses on how they treat people with food allergies. Referencing these grades and accompanying reviews, people with food allergies can make better decisions about which restaurants, bars, hotels, airlines, trains, rideshares, theaters, parks, malls, stores, theme parks, sports arenas, schools, colleges, and more they would like to give their business to. Food Allergy Grades hopes that by connecting the food allergy community with the business community, it can build bridges that lead to positive corporate, social, and policy change. For more information, visit foodallergygrades.org.