HelloFresh has come under fire after publishing a Pride Month promotion telling customers that while “eating isn’t always a top priority this month,” it had “an extensive lineup of high-fiber recipes available” for those who are “prepping.”
The company then wished followers a “Happy Pride.”
The campaign drew even more attention after HelloFresh responded to a social media user who suggested a Pride Month discount code of “BOTTOMSUP.”
According to a screenshot shared online, the company replied, “Use code BOTTOMSUP for a Pride Month discount. You ask, we deliver. Literally.”
The promotion quickly spread across social media, where it attracted criticism from commentators and campaigners.
Education campaigner Katharine Birbalsingh wrote, “We have lost our moral compass. We can no longer tell right from wrong. Where this leaves our children, God only knows.”
Conservative commentator Robby Starbuck described the campaign as “one of the most disturbing marketing campaigns you’ve ever seen.”
“HelloFresh wants you to know that they have food for you to prepare your colon for receiving anal sex during Pride Month. Yes, this is real. No sane person should use this insane company,” he wrote.
Commentator Mario Nawfal wrote, “HelloFresh is apparently marketing their meal kits as prep for anal sex during Pride Month. This is what happens when a brand’s marketing team has zero adults in the room.”
Wade Miller, executive director at Center for Renewing America, also criticized the campaign, writing: “Interesting choice by HelloFresh. It wasn’t enough for them to merely celebrate Pride Month, they went the extra mile in associating their food with human assholes. Unsubscribed.”
The X account Libs of TikTok, which has 4.7 million followers, urged supporters to cancel their HelloFresh subscriptions, with dozens of social media users confirming they had already done so.
Criticism also came from within the LGBT community. New Zealand political commentator Ani O’Brien wrote on Facebook, “As a lesbian, I am so tired of this nonsense. I am tired of corporate Pride and activist Pride.”
HelloFresh is a German multinational meal-kit company headquartered in Berlin. Founded in 2011, it operates across the United States, Canada, parts of Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, with North America accounting for the majority of its revenue.
HelloFresh has not yet responded to the criticism.
