The KILLER Protein Bar You’re Not Meant to Eat
Visit the website for Joe Wicks’ new KILLER Protein Bar, and you’re immediately greeted by a warning message.
“Do not eat this bar,” it reads in capital letters. “Even though it’s delicious, consumption of the KILLER Bar is not recommended.
“Buy it. Talk about it. Just don’t eat it.”
You might wonder, then, why he’s even selling it — after all, what are you supposed to do with a bar you can’t eat?
The bar itself is an allegory for a wider message. A trojan horse, if you like. Wicks’ true motivation for this controversial release is to start a conversation around ultra-processed foods (UPFs).
The viral online trainer is selling the KILLER Protein Bar to pressure the government into enforcing front-of-pack warning labels.
This elaborate stunt is all part of a Channel 4 documentary called License to Kill, airing on Monday, 6th October at 8pm.
Camera crews follow Wicks and 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.
Indeed, you can actually buy the KILLER Protein Bar — it’s not just for show.
It features Jekyll and Hyde packaging, with one side promising 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.
Statistics on the website claim 57% of an average adult’s diet in the UK is made up of UPFs.
Wicks points towards countries across South America that have already adopted clearer labelling practices, helping people make truly informed choices about what they’re eating.
This highly-provocative campaign comes in response to what he’s calling “pernicious” food marketing practices, using protein as a “health halo” for otherwise unhealthy foods.
Can You Eat the KILLER Protein Bar?
The KILLER Protein Bar is made up of 96 ingredients commonly found in UPFs, including sucralose, glycerol, maltitol, and aspartame.
To hammer home the supposed contradiction, Wicks has also included 27 vitamins and minerals, plus whey protein isolate and collagen.
You can eat it — Wicks admits it even tastes “quite nice” — though he’s not recommending people do.
Bars come in a chocolate-orange flavour, priced at £2.29 each, with all proceeds pledged to charities “pushing for better food and healthier eating.”
Find out more via the KILLER Protein Bar’s website.
SEE ALSO: Joe Wicks Wife, Height & Net Worth
