Jamie Oliver book withdrawn amid Indigenous complaints in Australia [Video]

LONDON, United Kingdom –

A children’s book written by British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has been withdrawn from sale after it was criticised for causing offense to Indigenous Australians.

The Guardian newspaper reported Saturday that the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Corporation blasted “Billy And The Epic Escape,” which was published earlier this year, for employing a series of tropes about Indigenous Australians, including their relationships with the natural and spiritual worlds.

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The group criticized one of the subplots of the book, which tells the story of a Aboriginal girl living in foster care, for contributing to the “erasure, trivialisation, and stereotyping of First Nations peoples and experiences.”

In a statement, Oliver, 49, said he was “devastated” to have caused offense and apologized “wholeheartedly.”

“It was never my intention to misinterpret this deeply painful issue,” he …