Both Walmart and Target have announced plans to drop products endorsed by Mario Batali after the celebrity chef was accused of sexual assault throughout his career.
In addition to the accounts of many women who have worked with Batali, the staff at The Spotted Pig recently told The New York Times that there was security footage of Batali groping an unconscious woman in the restaurant’s VIP room at a party in 2008.
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A spokesperson for Walmart gave a statement to Fox News, saying, “The recent sexual misconduct allegations against Mario Batali are unacceptable. We’re ending our relationship with Batali and will discontinue our business with his brand.”
Target made a similar announcement on Thursday, saying they would no longer carry any of Batali’s cookbooks or sauces. The products were first removed from their online stores, but Target says they’ll be off retail shelves soon as well. As of this writing, only one product comes up as a result when searching for “Batali” on the company website — a cookbook featuring the whole cast of ABC‘s The Chew.
Summer Garden Foods, the company that produces products with Batali’s name on them, announced that they too would be distancing themselves from the disgraced chef.
“We are proud of the products we have created that carry Mr. Batali’s brand,” the company said in a public statement, “but the kind of behavior ascribed to Mr. Batali violates our core values and beliefs, and we take these issues very seriously.”
“We have spoken to Mr. Batali and have agreed that he will forego any profits that he might receive from the sale of these products,” the statement went on, “and instead we will direct those proceeds to a nonprofit organization. We will be focused on identifying and working with an organization that empowers and advances women…”
Finally, the company said that they’d be working over time to “transition our products away from the Batali brand.”
Accusations against Batali mounted quickly as former employees and fellow chefs accused him of inappropriate behavior, unwanted advances and even sexual assault. The former chef has apologized, though even that has been criticized for tone-deafness. Batali has stepped away from his various restaurants and he’s no longer a co-host on The Chew.
