Sydney Airport’s Gluten Free Mockery Backfires Spectacularly
Australian influencer Sopha Dopha’s TikTok post creates a gluten free PR disaster following Sydney Airport’s unprofessional response
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Hey Gluten Free Fam,
This has been an interesting PR week for Sydney Airport to say the least. Rarely will an official account of this nature try and poke fun at an influencer who points out a clear lack of options at one of Australia’s largest transport hubs, but that they did.
It’s not the first time content creators have tried to irritate and rage-bait the gluten free community. Yet coeliacs and gluten free Australians at large have every right to be dumbfounded by a social media post that decided to mock a customer’s poor experience rather than address the very clear dietary shortcomings they have available to the many thousands of patrons commuting through their location every day.
Sydney Airport vs. Gluten Free Customer PR Debacle
Social media influencer Sophia Begg, a.k.a. Sopha Dopha, is no stranger to online engagement. With 1.5 million TikTok followers and counting, the 22-year old Australian fashion and lifestyle content creator published a seemingly innocuous post. The ripple effect would quickly spiral, inciting reaction from a variety of public figures and brands.
After detailing her far superior experience with gluten free options via Virgin Australia on her personal TikTok account, what Sopha Dopha encountered through the main domestic terminal with Jetstar on one particular morning left a lot to be desired.
“Sydney Airport, you need to get your s*** together because - I make this video like every 6 months, (but) nothing happens. I’m walking around to every single food place at the Airport and no one does gluten free (food options).” Begg continues to film herself asking one outlet for gluten free bread, and after they denied the request, she simply says “shock horror.”
Begg explained that during her travel at approximately 6am, and in desperate need of some gluten free breakfast, all she came across was a less than appetising fruit cup and sushi. Not exactly a standout option for that time of the day.
“No one does gluten free - no one. I go to a cafe - no gluten free bread… What would you like me to eat? Because they don’t have gluten free (options).”
“Hope this helps” - Sydney Airport’s Unprofessional Gluten Free Response
Anyone familiar with the world of public relations understands that brand awareness and community reputation is everything. It’s seldom you will find an official account like that of Sydney Airport deciding that Sopha Dopha’s video is an opportunity for mockery and ridicule.
The media team at the Airport took the audio grab with the justifiable complaint, only to then play her commentary over images with the title: “What to Eat at Sydney Airport if You’re Gluten-Free” across Terminals 1, 2 and 3.
“We recognise that some people felt that our recent post missed the mark, our intent was to highlight the gluten free options at the airport which on this occasion failed to meet expectations.
“We know that finding suitable food when travelling is important. We will continue working with our retail partners to improve the passenger experience for all travellers.”
They cited a Sushi Platter at Sushia, a Peanut Butter Crunch Bowl at Pulp & Grind, a Taco option at Mad Mex, a Burrito Bowl at Liv Eat, a gluten free burger bun selection at Slim’s Burgers, and a gluten free takeaway sandwich at an outlet called Earl. Not only did none of these address any viable breakfast selections, but the fine print that disclosed the gluten free option was a challenge to read in many cases. Some of these almost certainly carry additional cross-contamination risk, leaving the consumer to their own devices.
The title caption below the video reads: “Hope this helps @Notsophadopha.”
As they were being called out in the comments section, the Airport left a remark, “To be fair she said 'every single food place' didn't have anything gluten free.”
Online Backlash Towards Sydney Airport
The response to that post from Sydney Airport has caused outrage and derision from those in the coeliac and gluten free community. The video, which still remains up and live at the time of publishing, has led to others providing their right of reply.
Yahoo! Lifestyle’s Claudia Poposki, a coeliac herself, argues that Sydney Airport’s choice here mocks all Australians who live with the dietary requirement, and not by choice. “It felt wildly unnecessary,” Poposki writes, "particularly as the 22-year-old was simply airing a complaint every gluten-free traveller has felt at some point.”
@melbourne_coeliac offered his perspective on the topic given his years of domestic airport travel. He explains, “This isn’t just a Sydney Airport problem, but an Australia-wide problem for coeliacs. As we know, Sydney Airport - you’ve embarrassed yourselves.” While he says that locations like Brisbane, Gold Coast and Melbourne have a few more options than Sydney, it isn’t by much.
Janessa Rutter from Bask & Co. supported Sopha Dopha’s position, stating that she’s gone the extra mile financially to have coverage through another provider as a safeguard. “As someone who owns a Coeliac Australia-endorsed food brand, who travels often, I think it is so incredibly difficult to try and find something to eat, especially when you’re travelling in the morning. I’ve had to get a Virgin Lounge membership … and spend that extra money, just so I have confidence that I know I’m going to get breakfast when I get to the airport in the morning.”
As an international traveller, Matt Bzdel from Gluten Free Street Gang commented on our own post, stating that the financial argument doesn't hold any water as far as investing in gluten free dietary alternatives.
“Airports have a captive audience and charge some of the most expensive commercial rents in any given city,” he writes. “They don't really do enough to encourage variety and it makes me sad gluten free safe options aren't seen as commercially viable.”
Sydney Airport Invites Personal Scrutiny Towards Sopha Dopha
It shouldn’t surprise anyone to know that the attention the Airport placed on Begg created further backlash in her direction. By doubling down on the criticism towards Sopha Dopha, rather than address the issue with empathy and sincerity, the action invited others to throw more scorn and mockery in her direction.
“This is so Gen Z privilege coded,” said one. “Get something without the bread … maybe,” chimed another. “(You’re) the one with the dietary requirement so plan ahead 😂” quipped another reply.
This is a natural by-product of online mockery, by a major organisation no less, inviting attention from people who have no lived experience with the daily impact of an autoimmune disease. It’s another example that continues to highlight the need for education and broader societal awareness on coeliac disease, gluten intolerance and what real gluten free food access looks like in Australia.
Sydney Airport: “We Missed the Mark.. Failed to Meet Expectations”
A Gluten Free Family reached out to the organisation’s Media department on the matter. Asking for further comment to see if they believed the post was professional in nature and helpful for coeliacs and gluten free travellers alike, they replied.
A Sydney Airport spokesperson responded: "We recognise that some people felt that our recent post missed the mark, our intent was to highlight the gluten free options at the airport which on this occasion failed to meet expectations.
“We know that finding suitable food when travelling is important. We will continue working with our retail partners to improve the passenger experience for all travellers."
We appreciate Sydney Airport’s response, but have followed up with the organisation to see what those improvements will actually look like, and what they can do in tangible terms to repair their image since the publishing of the post.
We will follow up with any progress on the story.
Their original post that created the backlash still remains live.
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