While online criticism is largely par for the course for famous women, the criticism currently being levelled at singer Katy Perry is somewhat… unexpected.
The star is this week drawing ire from wellness enthusiasts across the United States who claim she is threatening their gut health. No, really.
The row, which began with a now viral Tik Tok video, centres around the claim Perry and her husband, Lord of the Rings actor Orlando Bloom, changed the formulation of Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar – a cult favourite among wellness enthusiasts.
Social media users from across the USA and beyond have since jumped on the rumour, posting images of vinegar which they claim has been watered down in the wake of a 2019 takeover by an investment group including the couple.
In response, Bragg Live Food Products CEO Linda Boardman insisted there had been no change of formulation in any of the company’s products, before or since the couple’s investment. The differences in colour demonstrated in the now-viral Instagram and Tik Tok posts are instead due to variations in apple colour, she explained, with different batches of vinegar making seasonal use of different batches of apples.
“Because Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar is a live, unpasteurised and unfiltered product, colour variation is expected,” she told Eater. “This variation can be attributed to the type of apples used, the season or the particular harvest, and the age of the living product within.”
Rest assured, our Apple Cider Vinegar is the same quality recipe that it has always been – 5% acidity to ensure 750 mg of Acetic Acid courtesy of “the Mother”.
Learn more: https://t.co/qqHHFdtmyh
— Bragg Live Food Products, LLC (@BraggLiveFoods) December 28, 2022
The firm itself also took to Twitter to hit back at claims of watering down, in a Tweet since pinned to the top of its feed and sent directly to its critics on the platform.
Perry, meanwhile, has chosen to studiously ignore the row, despite her recent Instagram and Twitter posts being hijacked by users demanding answers about the vinegar.
Given Bloom’s previous claim on The Tonight Show that he and Perry’s first bond was over their shared love for ACV, it seems unlikely the couple are going to be ditching their own supply any time soon.