Sonja Bakker admits: her recipes are not always her own
Small scandal last week: Sonja Bakker was kicked off Instagram because she regularly posted recipes that she had not come up with herself, but had copied from other food bloggers. Now Sonja is admitting fault: ‘It is simply plagiarism.’
In the 2000s, sponge cakes and cartons of low-fat drinking yoghurt were flying off the shelves because Sonja Bakker prescribed them in virtually every daily menu in her first book Reach Your Ideal Weight. The weight-loss consultant became hugely successful, at least when measured by the sales of her books. Dietitians criticised her because the diet did not meet healthy-eating guidelines. And now there is the scandal involving food bloggers who accuse her of theft.
Plagiarism
Several food bloggers saw their own recipes and photo concepts reappear on Sonja’s Instagram account and Facebook page. American Silvia Ribas Dunnirvine hired a lawyer. ‘I can only say that she is right,’ Sonja now tells De Telegraaf.
According to Sonja, the plagiarism occurred because her team has been working from home due to coronavirus and she therefore has less oversight. ‘One of my employees took photos from the internet from abroad, which I thought were royalty-free. That was not the case. They were copied one-to-one.’ The diet guru also says she wants to resolve things with everyone, because plagiarism—it is what it is—simply cannot be accepted.
Death threats
What is also unacceptable is being threatened with death. That happened to Sonja Bakker too. ‘I received death threats by email. People swear at me in the street, calling me a “fraud” and saying I belong in prison. Despite the mistakes I made on my Instagram, I am not a fraud. For twenty years I have produced my books honestly,’ says Sonja.
Sonja will reach a settlement with the affected food blogger(s).
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Source: AD
