Pete Evans fined $25K for claims BioCharger light machine treats COVID-19
My Kitchen Rules judge and celebrity chef Pete Evans has been fined by the Therapeutic Goods Administration for claiming a $15,000 UV light machine can help treat coronavirus.
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Celebrity chef Pete Evans has been fined $25,200 by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) for false claims about an expensive light machine he claimed had a ‘recipe’ for “Wuhan coronavirus”.
The Channel 7 My Kitchen Rules star said in a live post on April 9 that the BioCharger, which he sells for $14,900, “is a pretty amazing tool that will take you down some a rabbit holes and it will take me an hour or two to explain it” before suggesting it could help coronavirus.
The TGA investigated after the story broke and found the Evans’s claims had “no apparent foundation”.
“Any claim that references COVID-19 is a restricted representation under therapeutic goods legislation, and is of significant concern to the TGA given the heightened public concern about the pandemic,” the TGA released in a statement today.
But the TGA also fined Evans for other claims and issued a second infringement notice for alleged advertising breaches on Evans’s website.
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The machine, which looks like a colourful food processor, claims “energies used in the BioCharger are Light, Frequencies & Harmonics, Pulsed Electromagnetic Fields (PEMFs), and Voltage”. These are all natural energies found in nature.
“Just sit comfortably in front of the BioCharger and select a frequency recipe from the menu,” the online video states on Evan’s website.
“The BioCharger included claims such as ‘proven to restore strength, stamina, co-ordination and mental clarity’, ‘sharpening your mental clarity’, ‘recovery … from an injury, stress’, ‘accelerating muscle recovery and reducing stiffness in joints’,” the TGA found.
Professor of medicine and public health advocate John Dwyer said “this man has for a long time been dangerous and ignorant and in this case anyone making false claims about coronavirus it is not just nonsense but dangerous nonsense”.
“Hallelujah, excellent, I’m a frequent critic of the TGA not moving quickly enough to protect consumers, but in this case, these outrageous and dangerous statements deserve the penalty he has got,” Prof Dwyer said.
“This man is dangerous and has been for some time and this is sending a very good message and congratulations to the TGA moving so quickly.”
Dietitian, and member of Friends in Medicine and Science Mandy-Lee Noble, who was one of the first to complain, said the BioCharger looked like a plasma lamp.
“It is a glorified plasma lamp that make your hairs stand on end, and the recipes are different colours, it’s a recipe from the lamp, putting on a different colour show,” she said.
“It says on the clip online, ‘just like you charge your phone, this charges you’.
“It is probably no threat to people but if people think this in any way will treat or prevent COVID-19 infection, that risks our community response to the pandemic, that is dangerous, it’s an indirect harm,” she said,
Mr Evans has increasingly pushed an alternative health agenda, including sharing anti-vaccine propaganda on to his 1.5 million followers.
Last year amid the Samoan measles epidemic, he posted a picture of himself on social media with anti-vaccine proponent Robert F Kennedy Jr and cited ‘the important work he is doing’ complete with a love heart emoji.
Robert F Kennedy Jr is the founder of Children’s Health Defence which funds a large chunk of anti-vax advertisements and misinformation on Facebook. Critics have also roasted Mr Evans for giving out health advice without any formal training.
Mr Evans has been contacted for comment.
Royal Australasian College of General Practitioners President Dr Harry Nespolon said the fine was a message to anyone who thought of taking advantage of the pandemic to spread false and misleading nonsense on social media.
“This celebrity chef can carry on all he likes about ‘activated almonds’ and whatever latest fad excites him but he should steer clear of health advice, particularly when it comes to something as serious as COVID-19,” Dr Nespolon said.
“I encourage all Australians to ignore his social media content. Please listen to the experts including your GP, we have your best interests at heart and we are doing all we can.
“As I have stated previously this ‘light machine’ doesn’t do anything but drain your wallet. However, the problem is that it may lull people into a false sense of security which means they don’t act as cautiously as they otherwise would on responsibilities such as social distancing.”