East coast grocery chain Giant has issued an apology after publishing an ad with the term “super spread” in reference to an abundance of holiday food in light of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The words appeared as part of a full-page advertisement in the grocery store’s recipe magazine “Savory” earlier this month. “Hosting? Plan a super spread,” the advertisement read, alongside photos of Giant’s prepared party platters available for purchase.
The phrase is similar to “super-spreader,” a colloquial term that refers to an event where one COVID carrier infects multiple other people all at once.
Giant acknowledged the mishap in a statement to Spectrum News, encouraging readers to follow CDC guidance during the holiday season.
“We apologize for our advertisement in Savory which used the language Super Spread to describe an abundance of food. While, in hindsight, the choice of words was a poor one, Giant had no intentions of insensitivity,” Giant said in their statement. “We continue to encourage people to practice safe social distancing practices for celebrating the holidays in line with CDC recommendations. 2020 has been exceptionally challenging for so many reasons and this year the holidays will be celebrated very differently, but we hope that food can still be a source of joy and comfort and that the ad reflects that spirit.”
Giant operates over 160 stores across Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, and Washington, D.C.
The advertisement was particularly inopportune given the holiday theme. With Thanksgiving rapidly approaching and coronavirus cases reaching record highs across the country, the CDC has advised against hosting gatherings with people from other households.
“As cases continue to increase rapidly across the United States, the safest way to celebrate Thanksgiving is to celebrate at home with the people you live with,” the public health agency’s website says as of Thursday.
“Gatherings with family and friends who do not live with you can increase the chances of getting or spreading COVID-19 or the flu.”
For those still undeterred from Turkey Day travel, shared platters are highly discouraged. If visiting someone’s home for Thanksgiving dinner, people should bring their own food, drinks, plates, cups and utensils, and avoid going into areas where food is being prepared, the agency suggested.
The United States has the most cases of coronavirus out of any other country in the world with over 11.6 million confirmed infections, according to data from Johns Hopkins. On Wednesday, the U.S. passed the grim milestone of over 250,000 deaths from the virus.