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Facebook deems baker's pie 'too sexy' for social media

A New Zealand pie maker has been left shaking his head after Facebook decided one of his pies was considered adult content.

While most Aussies and Kiwis find a meat pie delicious, sexy isn’t usually a word that people associate with the classic bakery treat.

Party pies are a staple at any child’s birthday party, a steaming hot pie watching the football go hand-in-hand and popping into the service station for a late-night pie hit is the perfect way to end a night out, so why does Facebook think they are too X-rated to be advertised on social media?

Wellington baker Niels Reinsborg started his business, Crafty Pies, to supply the baked treat to cafes, but when the coronavirus hit New Zealand shortly after he opened, he had to get creative and began offering his pies for sale on Facebook with contact-free delivery to homes.

A New Zealand pie has been dubbed "too adult" for Facebook. Pictured is the pie with the word 'censored' over it and the logo of Crafty Pies in New Zealand.
Baker Niels Reinsborg has dubbed his bakery as the home of ‘New Zealand’s sexiest pie’. Source: Crafty Pies

Business was booming and he was selling hundreds of pies each week until he posted an image of the Cypriot Shepherd’s Pie, filled with lean lamb cooked with fresh ginger, cumin and cinnamon. It is served in a shell of parmesan and black pepper pastry with a carrot and parsnip mash topping.

The description and image was apparently flagged and deemed inappropriate. He received a Facebook message explaining the platform could not be used to sell "adult" items, and his account was closed.

“While it’s a very cute pie, I don’t think it is too objectively arousing for the general public," Mr Reinsborg told New Zealand news outlet Stuff.

The Cypriot Shepherd's Pie advertised on Facebook from Wellington-based bakery Crafty Pies.
The pie Facebook took issue with. Source: Crafty Pies/Facebook

The second explanation given was that Facebook did not allow the sale of adult health items, such as weight-loss supplements.

Mr Reinsborg said he did try to make his pies as healthy as possible, but they should be eaten as a treat.

"They won't help people lose weight," he said.

The baker said while waiting for Faceback to respond to his appeal, sales have dropped.

A Facebook spokesperson said Mr Reinsborg’s account was removed in "error by our automated tools and has now been restored".

Now Crafty Pies is back up-and-running, Mr Reinsborg has been able to see the funny side, dubbing his bakery as the home of “New Zealand’s sexiest pie”.

"What constitutes an adult item is clearly in the pie of the beholder,” he said.

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