Page 16 - IAV Digital Magazine #499

iAV - Antelope Valley Digital Magazine
Facebook Deems Baker's Pie ‘Too Sexy' For Social Media
By Nadine Carroll
A New Zealand pie maker has been left shaking his head after Facebook decid- ed one of his pies was considered adult content.
While most Aussies and Kiwis find a meat pie delicious, sexy isn’t usually a word that peo- ple associate with the classic bakery
treat.
Party pies are a staple at any child’s birthday party, a steaming hot pie watching the football go hand-in-hand and popping into the service station for a late-night pie hit is the perfect way to end a night out, so why does Facebook think they are too X- rated to be adver- tised on social
media?
Wellington baker Niels Reinsborg started his busi- ness, Crafty Pies, to supply the baked treat to cafes, but when the coronavirus hit New Zealand shortly after he opened, he had to get creative and began offer- ing his pies for sale on Facebook with contact-free delivery to
homes.
Business was booming and he was selling hun- dreds of pies each week until he posted an image of the Cypriot Shepherd’s Pie, filled with lean lamb cooked with fresh ginger, cumin and cinna- mon. It is served in a shell of parmesan and black pepper pas-
try with a carrot and parsnip mash topping.
The description and image was apparently flagged and deemed inappro- priate. He received a Facebook mes- sage explaining the platform could not be used to sell "adult" items, and his account was closed.
“While it’s a very cute pie, I don’t think it is too objectively arous- ing for the gener- al public," Mr Reinsborg told New Zealand news outlet Stuff.
The second explanation given was that Facebook did not allow the sale of adult health items, such as weight-loss sup- plements.
Mr Reinsborg said he did try to make his pies as healthy as possi-
ble, but they should be eaten as a treat.
"They won't help people lose weight," he said.
The baker said while waiting for Faceback to respond to his appeal, sales have dropped.
A Facebook spokesperson said Mr Reinsborg’s account was removed in "error by our automated tools and has now been restored".
Now Crafty Pies is back up-and- running, Mr Reinsborg has been able to see the funny side, dubbing his bak- ery as the home of “New Zealand’s sexiest pie”.
"What constitutes an adult item is clearly in the pie of the beholder,” he said.
iAV - Antelope Valley Digital Magazine