Heinz has issued an apology following backlash over a new tube station ad in London, which was part of its “Family Portraits” campaign promoting family-sized pasta sauces.
The ad, which has been described by some as “shocking” and displayed at Vauxhall and Manor House stations, features a newly married interracial couple on their wedding day, sparking fierce criticism on social media.
The poster shows the black bride enjoying spaghetti with her white husband, his parents on her right, and her mother on her left, as reported by the Daily Mail.
Social media users criticized the ad for excluding the bride’s father, suggesting it perpetuates stereotypes about black fathers. One user commented, “It’s a subtle way of perpetuating myths [about Black fathers].”
Author Nels Abbey shared a photograph of the controversial Heinz ad at Vauxhall station in a post that has since gone viral on X. He captioned the image: “For my brothers and daughters.”
“Because, believe it or now, Black girls have Dads too.”
In response, one person wrote: “Total erasure of Black fathers by such a mainstream brand is shocking. How did this get approved?”
Reacting to Nels’s post, which has more than 300 comments at the time of writing, another X user added: “I took a picture of this same thing yesterday and tried every which way to make sense of it (they wanted the girl in the middle, which with six people would be hard) because I didn’t want to believe it.
“Why couldn’t he have one parent? Why couldn’t it just be two of them? Just why.”
The Heinz ad features the words “Based on a true story” in small print. One person expressed being “really triggered” by the poster at Manor House station, calling it “absolutely outrageous.”
Another comment read: “Yet more erasure and stereotypes. I know more black people with present dads than without.”
A fourth user noted the persistent “erasure” of Black fathers in mainstream media, writing: “I watch a lot of reality TV and many times when the meet the parents episode comes around, Black fathers present are rarely featured.
“There is a lot more acceptance of different family dynamics but the absent Black father is a trope that has a stronghold.”
Heinz conceded that their recent ad might have “unintentionally perpetuated negative stereotypes” in a statement to The Independent.
The company, known for its condiments, expressed appreciation for public feedback on its campaigns and recognized the concerns raised about the ad.
“We extend our deepest apologies and will continue to listen, learn, and improve to avoid this happening again in the future.”
Some users on X defended Heinz, attributing the controversy to the limited space on the advertising board.
“I would say the issue is more down to the space on the advertising board that required one character to be omitted for the aesthetic to have a beautiful woman centre to the advert than anything else,” one person wrote.
“I seriously doubt there is anything sinister in it.”
Heinz’s controversial new ad is part of a campaign to promote its jumbo-sized pasta sauce jars, as reported by Marketing Beat.
The “Family Portraits” campaign portrays real-life stories of people who break conventions out of their love for Heinz.
Examples include a bride unbothered by spilling sauce on her wedding dress and a grandmother eating pasta before feeding her grandchildren.
This campaign represents Heinz’s largest advertising expenditure of the year.
Following Heinz’s apology, Nels wrote on X: “Sense has prevailed. @HeinzUK has apologised.
“Never forget: Black girls have Dads too.”
