James Smith Calls Out Joe Wicks Over ‘Fear-Mongering’ KILLER Bar Campaign
When Joe Wicks announced the release of his controversial KILLER Bar, the fitness community reached for the popcorn, rubbed their hands together, and eagerly awaited James Smith’s response.
Smith, who has been referred to as the Gordon Ramsay of the nutrition space for his straight-talking takes, has been a long-term critic of Wicks’ methods.
Their rivalry has seen the former fire several shots across the bow over the years, even describing Wicks as the “Bane to his Batman”.
So when The Body Coach took aim at protein bars, a response from Smith felt almost inevitable.
“Joe Wicks is back chatting absolute sh*t again, but this time he’s going after the protein bars,” he said in his most recent, no holds barred YouTube takedown.
This latest chapter in the long-running feud was triggered by arguably Wicks’ most provocative stunt to date.
Last week, the fitness coach and television personality dropped a satirical protein bar that he warned consumers not to eat.
The so-called KILLER Bar features Jekyll and Hyde packaging, with one side promoting 19g of protein, high fibre, low salt, and 200+ health benefits.
The reverse, however, looks more like a cigarette packet. Troubling pictures show a rather wilted-looking Wicks next to cautions for high calories, sugar, saturated fat, and artificial sweeteners.
He warns these features can lead to diarrhoea, cancer, strokes, and even early death if consumed “excessively”.
While genuinely available to buy, the KILLER Bar is more of an advertisement for a Channel 4 documentary called License to Kill, airing on Monday 6th October at 8pm.
Camera crews follow Wicks and ultra-processed foods (UPF) expert Professor Chris van Tulleken as they produce the “UK’s most dangerous health bar” to highlight the potentially harmful ingredients permitted by food regulators to be sold on shelves.
Unsurprisingly, the KILLER Bar’s release has been met with huge criticism from nutritionists and personal trainers of all stripes — Smith included — who are bemused as to why Wicks has picked protein bars as enemy number one in his campaign against UPFs.
“Straight away, anyone from the UK fitness scene knows that this is a slight dig at Grenade’s Carb Killa bar — probably one of the most popular protein bars in the world,” Smith added, before highlighting a few occasions he feels Wicks has contradicted himself.
“I can’t help but feel this is a little bit like the time you created your whole supplement range, Joe. Do you remember that?
“Do you remember when you partnered with Myprotein? Do you remember when they sent me legal and tried to shut me up about it?
“And actually Joe, if we rewind back to the SSS plan — the shift, shape, sustain plan — that you made millions from…
“You made over £1 million a month, Joe. I remember inside that plan, you said that, although strategically you wouldn’t say people should have a protein shake or a protein bar, they were completely viable swaps that someone could implement into their diet.
“So what changed, Joe? Did the science change? So before you say you aren’t in this for the money, shut up bruv.”
Like many others who’ve weighed in on the conversation, Smith feels demonising foods like protein bars will do more harm than good to those trying to lose weight.
“Out of all the foods to go after and all the people to demonise, why the protein bar? For a start, most people consuming protein bars are trying to implement health-seeking behaviours into their life,” he added.
“They’re actually swapping that for a proper chocolate bar. Because what you may or may not know is, most people that are obese don’t go from a chocolate bar to a stem of broccoli when they’re hungry…
“Having a protein bar in the car for a journey that’s an hour and a half might stop you from stopping off and getting three bags of crisps and a sandwich.
“These are tactile parts of dietary change, to really get people to sustain it.”
Smith admitted he started filming his own documentary on steroid use with Channel 4 around two years ago, with the purpose of getting into the minds of young people who abuse PEDs for aesthetic gain.
“Very early on into that documentary we had to cease, we had to stop,” he said. “Because everything that I wanted to talk about was getting taken over by what they (Channel 4) wanted.”
The Neutonic founder claims the real message was being skewed by the broadcaster’s desire to make good viewing for audiences — and feels the same thing has happened with Wicks.
“Before you know it, you’re so far away from where you started. Joe here probably wants people to eat a little bit healthier, and probably wants people to jump around their front room, or whatever it is he does.”
Wicks has stated he’s not targeting protein bars specifically. Instead, the KILLER Bar has been described as a symbol of the food system.
Many feel that wider message has been lost in translation, especially with slogans like “deathly protein bar” and warnings of cancer, stroke, and early death front and centre on the packaging.
Such warnings certainly carry an extreme shock factor, and just as Wicks is asking the government to help consumers make informed choices, Smith is asking him to validate those troubling assertions.
“Do you know what you can sell legally? Cigarettes, alcohol, f*cking vapes mate,” Smith continued. “Yet out of everything in the supermarket, you went for protein bars.
“These are harmful to us? Explain how: what quantities, what frequencies, what studies. Because with so many things it’s the dose that’s important here.
“And if you’re telling me that someone who’s in good shape, eats adequate protein, eats five servings of fruit and vegetables a day, and can run 5k in 25 minutes, that a f*cking protein bar is harmful to their health, you best be coming with studies.
“Otherwise, this is irresponsible fear mongering.”
Wicks has claimed he’s not looking to make money from the KILLER Bar. According to the protein snack’s website, every penny is going towards charities pushing for better food and healthier eating.
Smith, however, isn’t so convinced by that statement.
While he acknowledges Wicks won’t be pocketing proceeds from the KILLER Bar directly, he’s labelled its release as a PR campaign, pointing out that Professor van Tulleken is also currently selling a book on the subject of UPFs.
“Rather than trying to get the government to do something, or to ban stuff — which they’re not going to do — why not just use this as an actual opportunity to educate people with the facts and evidence?
“You could have made a YouTube video on the truth about protein bars. You could have an introduction, a setup, referenced studies — you could have done so much.
“Then, you could actually educate people and empower them to make their own decisions. But this fear mongering and scaremongering is f*cking exhausting at this point mate.
“How often am I going to have to make videos about you? It’s been 10 years, Joe. When the f*ck are you going to learn a thing or two about nutrition, and stop being a f*cking clown, puppeteered by any campaign to get a bit of PR and exposure?”
Smith has consistently campaigned for influencers and online trainers to back up their sweeping claims with credible evidence.
Most recently, he called out Courtney Black for the ‘blanket’ statements she made about artificial sweeteners.
You can watch Smith’s full response to the KILLER Bar on his YouTube channel.
SEE ALSO: Joe Wicks Launches KILLER Bar — But He Doesn’t Want People to Eat it
