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Giant Food store apologizes for 'super spread' ad amid coronavirus pandemic
By Janine Puhak
Published November 18, 2020
Some may call it a giant mistake.
Giant Food has apologized for running an insensitive ad promoting “super spread” platters that missed the mark with its play on words amid the coronavirus pandemic, with Thanksgiving right around the corner.
The major grocer is now expressing remorse for the controversial circular, which ran as a full-page ad in its branded magazine, Savory, TMZ reports. Giant Food operates 164 locations across Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C., according to a store page.
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"Hosting? Plan a super spread,” the tone-deaf flyer read, featuring platters of shrimp cocktail, cheese and a fruit tart. (Giant Food)
"Hosting? Plan a super spread,” the tone-deaf flyer read, featuring platters of shrimp cocktail, cheese and a fruit tart, presumably pitching to holiday shoppers.
Though sharing apps around the table was once a universally popular Thanksgiving tradition, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has discouraged potlucks and large gatherings in the fight against COVID-19. Some doctors say that “super-spreaders,” a colloquial term referencing the people or events who pass the virus to a significant group, have exacerbated the spread of the viral disease.
To that end, the supermarket has since apologized for the slip-up.
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“We apologize for our advertisement in Savory which used the language Super Spread to describe an abundance of food. While, in hindsight, the choice of words was a poor one, Giant had no intentions of insensitivity,” a spokesperson for Giant Food told Fox News on Wednesday morning.
“We continue to encourage people to practice safe social distancing practices for celebrating the holidays in line with CDC recommendations,” the rep said. “2020 has been exceptionally challenging for so many reasons and this year the holidays will be celebrated very differently, but we hope that food can still be a source of joy and comfort and that the ad reflects that spirit.”
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Fox News’ James Leggate contributed to this report.
https://www.foxnews.com/food-drink/giant-food-store-apologizes-ad-pandemic