Bakery owner criticises ITV's The Voice over free cake request

Image source, Instagram/getbakeduk Image caption, Rich Myers says other independent bakeries have experienced the same type of "abysmal" request By Haider Saleem North West Published 4 hours ago An independent bakery owner has said it was a "kick in the teeth" to be asked by The Voice UK to provide the ITV show's guests and judges with free cakes. Rich Myers, 37, from Get Baked, which has its flagship store in Manchester, described the request as a "total disgrace", adding that large companies should not ask small businesses to supply products in return for so-called "exposure". Myers shared the email on Instagram, which said ITV was unable to pay but the food would be seen by "highly influential" coaches, presenters and contestants. Lifted Entertainment, which makes The Voice UK for ITV, apologised and said "steps had been taken to ensure this type of request is never made again". In the email, The Voice staff asked whether Get Baked, which has its production bakery in Leeds, could supply products for talent dressing rooms and green rooms during filming for no payment. It said ITV would be "unable to offer anything monetary or otherwise in return". Myers said at first he thought it was "a wind up" but then realised it was "totally real". "ITV and Lifted Entertainment, you're a total disgrace," he wrote on Instagram. "Honestly, how did we get here? "Stop whatever this is because I wanna get off. This Instagram post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Instagram The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip instagram post Allow Instagram content? This article contains content provided by Instagram. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Meta’s Instagram cookie policy , external and privacy policy , external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’ . Accept and continue The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. End of instagram post The email suggested the "very high calibre of talent" on the show would be able to enjoy the food provided. Myers told the BBC: "Putting it backstage for someone to eat, as if that results in exposure, means nothing to anyone." Image source, Get Baked Image caption, The bakery has gone viral over its multi-layered cakes Get Baked sells online across the UK, and recently opened a shop in Covent Garden, London. Myers said an order for a green room for one day might have cost about £100 and would have provided enough food for 20 to 25 people. "We're not talking thousands of pounds," he said. But he said he was passionate about his opposition to this "gifting culture", adding: "We've been doing this for 15 years and we've never gifted anything to anyone really." Image source, Get Baked Image caption, People queued to get in to the new Get Baked shop when it opened in Manchester in March