UPDATE: NSW Health Minister Jillian Skinner has condemned the anti-fluoride stance of My Kitchen Rules judge Pete Evans.
Skinner told the Daily Telegraph she stopped watching the reality cooking show when she learned of Evans’ views on fluoridated drinking water. Last year, the chef and paleo diet advocate was photographed wearing a Fluoride Free t-shirt, having met with the controversial lobby group to “discuss ideas”.
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“Here we are spending a lot of effort and energy in educating people about the value of fluoridation … and it is countered by a celebrity who knows nothing from a specialist point of view,” Skinner said.
“I’m highly disappointed that they would use a platform of cooking. That is totally inappropriate … and quite disturbing, which is why I won’t watch those programs any more.”
Evans responded to Skinner's comments in the Telegraph, saying he was open to discussing "the value of fluoridation" with the Health Minister, but asked that "she, or any other party, does not misrepresent my views, opinions or beliefs."
He also rebutted Skinner's additional suggestion that he held an anti-vaccination stance: “I have never spoken about vaccination, its risks or possible connections with any medical conditions."
The Glow previously reported...
It's been a controversial 12 months for Pete Evans.
Back in October, the celebrity chef and paleo diet advocate posted a 2100-word diatribe on his Facebook page, criticising the Dieticians Association of Australia and the Heart Foundation, and suggesting Australia's autism and mental illness rates are somehow linked to the healthy eating guidelines promoted by these two bodies.