Star chefs: free ambassadors or smart deals?
Big Food and celebrity chefs: who's watching them? Behind the scenes of cultured meat and hidden influence.
A German supplement giant pays a famous star 10,000 euros a month. Here in the Netherlands? Same story. Whether it's supplements, investments or cultured meat: star chefs and big (and not so big) names are getting involved for nothing. Nevertheless, in early December 2024, the debate in the House of Representatives was only about young influencers. Why is no one looking at the role of Big Food and their culinary “ambassadors”? Because do you think star chefs get out of bed for nothing? the cameras throughout the Netherlands finger-licking a piece of cultured meat?
Cultivated meat: a sustainable alternative or a smokescreen?
The cultured meat industry, with companies such as Mosa Meat and Meatable, is positioning itself as a sustainable solution to global food problems. But what remains underexposed? The safety, health effects and — let's face it — the enormous energy costs required to produce this “sustainable” innovation. Despite the big claims, there is little concrete transparency. In fact, my personal experience with Mosa Meat shows how difficult it can be to get honest answers. After really months of polite questions about their production process — think of used chemicals and health risks — I was simply blocked on LinkedIn. What did we get instead of answers? Vague references to European regulations and PR stories that were anything but insightful. A standard response arrived in the mailbox.
Star chefs: promoting untested products without accountability
What is perhaps even more worrying is how celebrity chefs are being used to promote cultured meat. They are presented by Big Food as reliable ambassadors, even though they often have no scientific basis for their claims. These chefs are renowned, but at the same time they act as powerful influencers. Who controls their claims? Who asks them about the source of their beliefs, or the influence of the companies that pay them? The journalists of all the national newspapers did not ask a single question about the role of the star chefs. Deception doesn't stop with TikTokkers; it's also in Michelin kitchens.
Why do we keep sparing Big Food?
The debate in the House of Representatives in early December was about protecting consumers against misleading advertisements. But why does that protection stop with social media? Large companies use familiar faces just as well to frame their products as sustainable and healthy. The cultured meat industry is a perfect example of this: a sector full of experimental products and big claims but few facts. Consumers rely on culinary greats and are thus indirectly influenced by Big Food. That should not be left undiscussed.
Time for more transparency
The question is not only how to curb TikTok influencers, but also how to make Big Food and their ambassadors more transparent. The public has a right to honest information, especially when it comes to foods that have a direct impact on our health and the environment. Should companies like Mosa Meat and Meatable be required to provide full insight into their production processes? And should celebrity chefs bear the same responsibility as social media influencers? And journalists shouldn't even ask Ron Blaauw how much money he is willing to spend on all the cameras in the Netherlands telling them how delicious the cultured meat is.
Learn more about the truth behind dietary supplements and how SMPL is committed to honest, transparent products: Blog: The Truth About Dietary Supplements.
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