Italian fashion influencer Chiara Ferragni apologizes for false claim about hospital pandoro

Italian influencer Chiara Ferragni has apologized for misleading her followers about a Christmas cake purchase. Ferragni, who has almost 30 million Instagram followers, was fined €1.075m for claiming that the sales of a "designer" pink pandoro cake would support a children's hospital in Turin. However, the competition watchdog discovered that the cake's producer had already donated money to the hospital months prior to its launch. In response, Ferragni has promised to donate €1m to the Regina Margherita hospital. She admitted her mistake and stated that she had wrongly connected a commercial activity with a charitable cause. Ferragni also plans to appeal against the ruling and considers the fine disproportionate and unjust. The pandoro cake, which was labeled as Ferragni's design, was sold for over twice the price of the classic unbranded pandoro produced by Balocco. The watchdog found that buyers were deceived into believing that their purchases would contribute to the purchase of medical equipment for the hospital's treatment of children with Osteosarcoma and Ewing's Sarcoma. This case has sparked anger and criticism, with Prime Minister Georgia Meloni condemning influencers who promote expensive cakes under the guise of charity. Consumer group Codacons intends to take legal action on behalf of individuals who bought the cake, believing their money would go to the children's hospital. The AGCM watchdog stated that false advertising had manipulated consumers' sensitivity to charitable initiatives concerning seriously ill children, violating Italy's consumer code and constituting an unfair commercial practice. Balocco was fined €420,000, and Chiara Ferragni's trademark and rights management companies were fined over €1m. Balocco had already made a €50,000 donation to the hospital before the cake was put on sale, and they had paid Ferragni's companies around €1m for promotion.