Stupid customers who believed “conspiracy theorists” on social media are being blamed for a massive drop in sales.
Arla’s chief says the boycott won’t stop the company from making decisions “based on science.”
The boss of Lurpak has pointed the finger at conspiracy theorists on social media for the company’s huge decline in sales, insisting that customer backlash won’t change their approach, which is “based on science.”
Arla’s boss, Bas Padberg, launched a bitter attack on his own customers for boycotting products after it emerged that Arla was adding chemicals to the food chain to stop cows from farting—a move they claimed would help combat climate change.
Many switched to competitor brands that weren’t introducing chemicals into their products. One such brand, Kerrygold, quickly reassured customers that they had no plans to follow suit—and as a result, their sales reportedly soared by over 200%.
But apparently, customers making a free choice and opting for unaltered products has enraged the Arla boss, who seems oblivious to the fact that he’s heading for his very own Ratner moment.
Rather than acknowledging that people don’t want their food tampered with, Padberg has doubled down, blasting customers for believing “conspiracy theorists” over “the science”—all but ensuring they won’t be coming back anytime soon.
In a staggering display of self-delusion, the Arla boss pointed out that the Food Safety Authority had deemed Bovaer “perfectly safe” while completely missing the point.
The reality? Arla only has itself to blame. The public simply doesn’t want these additives in their food, and they’re voting with their wallets. This dramatic drop in sales should have been a wake-up call—but instead, Bas Padberg seems to have convinced himself that the customer is the problem, and that if they weren’t so stupid, they’d keep buying Lurpak no matter what’s in it.
Rupert Lowe, a former Reform UK MP and a successful farmer, didn’t hold back, saying he “won’t be consuming anything containing Bovaer” and calling for an urgent review of its use in the food system. He was voicing what millions of consumers were already thinking—but instead of listening, Arla plowed ahead, seemingly convinced that their market dominance made them untouchable. Spoiler: it didn’t.
That said, Arla might still have the last laugh. The British government is reportedly considering making these additives compulsory for all commercial dairy farms in its relentless march toward Net Zero.
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