The incident occurred via Weetabix’s Twitter account, where the cereal brand posted an image of its classic wheat biscuits covered in Heinz baked beans.
Why should bread have all the fun, when there's Weetabix? Serving up @HeinzUK Beanz on bix for breakfast with a twist. #ItHasToBeHeinz #HaveYouHadYourWeetabix pic.twitter.com/R0xq4Plbd0
— Weetabix (@weetabix) February 9, 2021
It was posted alongside the caption: “Why should bread have all the fun, when there's Weetabix? Serving up @HeinzUK Beanz on bix for breakfast with a twist. #ItHasToBeHeinz #HaveYouHadYourWeetabix.”
While Weetabix later remarked that “no beans were harmed in the making of this breakfast”, the visual atrocity became a viral topic on Twitter across the UK - with a long list of commercial brands and public bodies weighing in to offer the harshest condemnation.
The NHS said that Weetabix's photo “should come with a health warning”, while KFC asked rival brand Nando's to put aside their differences in an effort to “prosecute [the image] under the Geneva Convention”, (though Nando's thought this was a step too far).
That tweet should come with a health warning
— NHS (@NHSuk) February 9, 2021
Let’s set aside our differences to prosecute this under the Geneva Convention.
— KFC UK & Ireland (@KFC_UKI) February 9, 2021
Yorkshire Tea likened the partnership as “a murder”, with West Yorkshire police urging members of the public not to report the “criminal” image, in spite of its distressing content.
Even though this is criminal, please don't ring us to report it.
— West Yorkshire Police (@WestYorksPolice) February 9, 2021
Ofcom also chipped-in on the controversy, urging Weetabix not to advertise its unlikely partnership on TV.
Please don’t show this on telly. We do not want to put our staff through investigating something so deeply offensive.
— Ofcom (@Ofcom) February 9, 2021
“Please don’t show this on telly,” Ofcom said.
“We do not want to put our staff through investigating something so deeply offensive.”
However, Weetabix's soul-destroying photo has also inspired a series of unlikely (and hopefully fictional) collaborations between brands.
Krispy Kreme and KFC pondered the creation of a gravy-filled donut, while Papa John’s created a prototype image of its Weetabix creation (which is topped with pepperoni and swimming in a bowl of garlic sauce).
From the brand that brought you beans on pizza... yes it’s garlic sauce. pic.twitter.com/dxnE1dJvob
— Papa John's UK (@PapaJohnsUK) February 9, 2021
Marmite also encouraged masochistic foodies to top their Weetabix with its yeasty spread, while Ford UK filled a car compartment with beans to prove that “just because you can, doesn't mean you should”.
@weetabix @heinzUK Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. #MegaBox #BeanOnTomorrow pic.twitter.com/shnSLfZAbO
— Ford UK (@forduk) February 9, 2021
"Social media can sometimes be a nasty place, full of trolling or virtue signalling, but this is social at its best."
