"Isn't there a black man with a father?"Racism Controversy Advertising 'Rooms'

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An advertisement installed at a subway station in London, England, by Heinz, a large U.S. food manufacturer known for its tomato ketchup, has been embroiled in a controversy over racism.

According to British media such as the Guardian and The Independent on the 6th local time, Heinz recently hung an image of a pasta sauce advertisement inside Vox Hall and Manorhouse stations in London's subway "Tube."

The ad in question shows a black bride picking up pasta with a fork, not minding the sauce getting on her wedding dress.

Heinz tried to emphasize that the taste of its new pasta sauce was that great, but consumers showed greater interest in other aspects.

This is because while directing the wedding scene of a black woman and a white man, only the black woman described it as if she were a single mother without a father.

On the bride's right side sat a white man and woman who appeared to be the bride's parents, while on the bride's left side, only a black woman who appeared to be the bride's mother sat next to the groom, which touched the nerves of those sensitive to racism.

Some netizens in the UK criticized the advertisement, saying it 'erased' the black father.

Other X users also said, "It is shocking that such a major brand has completely deleted black fathers. He criticized how the advertisement was approved" and "it is not fair to delete a black father."

In the Anglo-American world, there has been a negative preconceived notion that black children often grow up in single-parent families for decades, and Heinz's advertisement has stimulated black people's antipathy to it, The Independent explained.

As the controversy intensified, Heinz said, "I deeply apologize for the advertisement's unintentional reinforcement of negative prejudices," adding, "We will continue to listen, learn, and improve so that this does not happen in the future."

Reporter Park Sun-young of Digital News Team