Blur‘s Alex James has found himself at the centre of a ‘Twitter-storm’ after singing the praises of fast food manufacturers and their products.
Writing in The Sun, where he is employed as a food columnist, the bassist compared a branch of McDonald’s which he was given a tour of to a “Michelin-starred restaurant’. He added: “When it’s busy in a Michelin kitchen, all the chefs are doing is putting pre-prepared parts of a meal together, which is essentially the same as McDonald’s.”
The piece, which also saw him visit a McDonald’s burger factory, Greggs’ bakery and a branch of KFC, went on to say: “My day with McDonald’s didn’t put me off eating there at all… I was dazzled by the whole process from farm to factory to burger.”
The article has now been criticised as being nothing more than a ‘puff piece’ by users of social networking site Twitter. They have accused cheesemaker James of selling out, promoting unhealthy food and penning a free advert for the fast food chains, with one user, Richard King, branding James the “indie [Jeremy] Clarkson”. James is pictured with Clarkson and Prime Minister David Cameron above.
The Real Food Festival commented that James was “looking like he’s sold another piece of his soul, this time to McD and Greggs” while Munch Local wrote: “Blimey, talk about selling out Alex James. Guess the food business is down the pan then. No credibility from advertising Greggs, McD & KFC.”