London’s most popular food market is cracking down on influencer filming to prevent disruption to smallholders, after a food blogger was escorted off-site mid-review.
Gerry del Guercio, who runs the food vlog ‘Bite Twice with his friend Paul Delaney, was in the middle of a scathing review of a Humble Crumble dessert at Borough Market when he was asked by security to stop filming and to leave.
It comes as the market requires social media influencers to seek permission before filming food content on their phones, as per their policy.
Mr del Guercio had just described the bakery’s £9 “apple and cinnamon crumble as “slightly better than what I got in primary school”, when security told them to leave.
The market, which attracts around 20 million visitors a year — about 55,000 a day — is asking food reviewers to “apply for permission” before they visit.
@bitetwice part 5 of reviewing viral food in Camden Market we revisit humble crumble #viralfood #camdenmarket #humblecrumble
♬ original sound - Bite Twice
Applicants must complete an online form providing details of what they plan to film and why, as well as their company name and filming date.
The form is then sent to the relevant authorities for approval.
All filming over weekends is banned, and anyone filming at other times must carry their “permission letter”.
Those caught filming without this letter will be asked to stop and leave the site.
Mr del Guercio said it was “ridiculous” that vloggers were no longer able to record without seeking permission first, suggesting Borough Market benefits from social media tourism driven by influencer content.
He said he was aware of many other content creators being escorted out of the market and suggested some of the more disruptive reviewers might have ruined it for other creators.
A spokesperson for Borough Market said: “We welcome all food lovers to Borough Market – from Londoners looking for dinner inspiration to tourists from the UK and beyond who want to experience our unique atmosphere and pick up something delicious from our expert traders.
“We have a long history of working closely with the wider food community including chefs, established food writers and food influencers, and often feature their content on our website and digital channels.
“We value the role that food reviewers play in showcasing Borough Market and its traders. Our filming policy is designed to ensure that activity doesn’t cause disruption to stallholders or visitors and our security team is trained to ask for the relevant permission from anyone filming in the market.
“Our number one priority is to ensure that visitors are comfortable and at times we do need to alleviate the congestion which can happen around particularly popular sites within our market.
“This occasionally means we ask food reviewers to stop filming if they are causing congestion or haven't got the relevant permission. We're in the process of reviewing our policy at the moment and our intention is always to keep Borough Market open and welcoming to everyone who wants to celebrate its food and support the 100+ small businesses who trade on our historic site.”
