Fact Check: ‘Made in China’ Amul butter viral post is fake; brand says both packs are original
A fake message claiming to have spotted “duplicate”, Made in China” Amul butter is being spread on social media. The viral video shows two kinds of butter packets, both of which are original and produced by Amul in India.
- By: Devika Mehta
- Published: Feb 16, 2023 at 05:20 PM
New Delhi (Vishvas News): Iconic Indian dairy brand Amul has taken note of a fake message being forwarded on Whatsapp and social media platforms about so-called “duplicate” Amul butter claimed to have been “made in China”.
Vishvas News, in its investigation, found the claim to be fake. Both packs of butter seen in the viral video are original and produced by Amul in India.
Claim:
Facebook user Sanjay Chaubey shared a post (archive link) that read:
“Duplicate Made in China Amul Butter has come in the market. Everyone must watch this video before buying Amul Butter from an unauthorised seller! Be careful while buying Amul Butter. I don’t understand why & how such rubbish made in China things reach the Indian Market? Could the China exporters succeed without support and interest of Indian Importers?
This video must reach the families of the Indian Importers! Question is : Could this not be made in India (by some proud Indians) in name of China? That is also possible, isn’t it?”
Other identical claims were found on Facebook and Twitter.
Investigation:
In the viral video, a person can be seen comparing two different packets of Amul butter. Showing that one of the packets does not have a circular green mark (a mark indicating vegetarian products), the person says that the packet without that mark is “duplicate” and “made in China”.
Vishvas News first did a Google reverse image search and found that the claim has been viral since 2022. After scanning many claims, we found some initial posts, such as this, from November 4, 2022, which reads: “#Must share; Fake Amul butter in Kashmir .. please be alert.” This post was liked by 520 people, received 32 comments and was viewed by around 54,000 people. Also, around 19,000 people followed the Facebook page that shared the viral video with the fake claim.
Next, we scanned the social media accounts of Amul on Facebook and Twitter, and found advisories issued to the public on February 15, 2023.
Vishvas News had sent an email to Amul India on February 13, 2023, to which we received a reply on February 15, 2023 from Amul Customer Care representative Kapil Sharma:
The reply is shared below:
Amul has clarified that as per the new guidelines of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), it is mandatory to put the green mark signifying ‘vegetarian’ on dairy products.
Of the two packets that are being compared in the viral video, one is an old pack that does not have the mark, while the other is the new one prepared as per the new guidelines. As for the user who shared the fake claim on Facebook in the latest, we found that he lives in Patna and is self-employed.
Conclusion: A fake message claiming to have spotted “duplicate”, Made in China” Amul butter is being spread on social media. The viral video shows two kinds of butter packets, both of which are original and produced by Amul in India.
- Claim Review : “Duplicate Made in China Amul Butter has come in the market.
- Claimed By : Fb user: Sanjay Chaubey
- Fact Check : False
Know the truth! If you have any doubts about any information or a rumor, do let us know!
Knowing the truth is your right. If you feel any information is doubtful and it can impact the society or nation, send it to us by any of the sources mentioned below.
