So I read that the Times food critic and man with a razor sharp wit Giles Coren is to be the new face of Birds Eye - he won't be Cap'n Birds Eye and all grey hair and fluffy whiskers - but he will be endorsing a supplier of food products and one that uses cod, a fish that Coren quite rightly pleas for people to avoid to prevent the stock from being further depleted.
I just don't feel that comfortable with Giles Coren actively plugging a company's food products. For one journalists advertising anything seems wrong, particularly as opinion writers like Coren rant and rage about most topics, but Birds Eye will now be off limits as you can't bite off the hand that feeds you.
He justifies his move because Birds Eye is now "environmentally feasible".
Clearly, it's time for Giles to cash in as he's also going to be co-presenting a documentary series on science for Channel Four called the Farm and is also filming a show called Edwardian Super Size Me for BBC4.
Good luck to him and no one can begrudge someone success, particularly when they have as sharp a wit as he does. It's just the advertising that I'm not sure about - there just seems to be too much of a conflict of interest there - let me know what you think.
Comments (1)
It is a job as is being a food critic. We do not have to eat the product same as we do not have to take any notice of their personal thoughts on food. You have of course touched the main problem. If Birds Eye needs pulling up what comes first the critic or the employee.
Posted by Dudley Seale | February 22, 2007 9:40 PM
Posted on February 22, 2007 21:40