According to a report that is currently being shared via social media, America’s FDA has warned consumers that rat meat is being sold as chicken wings in food outlets across the United States. Supposedly, customs officials recently seized several illegal containers from China that held rat meat that was to be distributed around the country and sold as chicken. The report claims that an ‘estimated 300,000 pounds of counterfeit rat meat’ has been sold as chicken wings in restaurants and grocery stores across America.
The report, which was first published on February 6 2016, suggested that a lot of the rat meat would likely been consumed by unsuspected fans during Super Bowl. But, while Super Bowl 2016 has come and gone, the report continues to circulate.
Thankfully, chicken wing fans can relax. The FDA has not issued any warnings claiming that rat is being sold as chicken. And, there are no credible news reports that support the claims in the story in any way. In fact, the story is a work of fiction that originates from the notorious fake-news website World News Daily Report (WNDR). Nothing published on WNDR should be taken seriously.
WNDR confirms the fictional nature of its content via the following disclaimer:
WNDR assumes however all responsibility for the satirical nature of its articles and for the fictional nature of their content. All characters appearing in the articles in this website – even those based on real people – are entirely fictional and any resemblance between them and any persons, living, dead, or undead is purely a miracle.
However, this disclaimer is hidden under the website’s About Us link and is not included on the pages where the fake reports are actually published. Moreover, to further the illusion of legitimacy, the reports are presented in news format. Many people are thus tricked into believing that the site’s content is genuine and are therefore likely to share it via social media.
As per usual, the original article has now been republished by a number of other bogus news sites, which ensures that the fake information will spread even further.
Fake-news ‘satire’ websites are very common and more and more of them have appeared in recent years. It is always wise to verify any strange or unusual ‘news’ stories that come your way before you share them online. Usually, searching a news aggregator service such as Google News will quickly reveal if a circulating story has any substance.
EXAMPLE:
RAT MEAT SOLD AS CHICKEN WINGS: FDA ISSUES WARNING BEFORE SUPER BOWLSan Francisco, CA | The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is concerned about an estimated 300,000 pounds of counterfeit rat meat that has been sold as chicken wings in restaurants and grocery stores across America.
FDA inspectors raised concerns when several illegal containers originating from China were seized by customs at the Port of San Francisco and were found to contain rat meat that was meant to be shipped to different meat processing plants across America and resold as chicken. Of course, if hundred of thousands of pounds of rat meat was really being sold as chicken across the United States, the story would have caused a media frenzy and it would have been reported on extensively by mainstream news outlets around the world.
Last updated: February 17, 2016
First published: February 17, 2016
By Brett M. Christensen
About Hoax-Slayer
References
Fake-News Story – RAT MEAT SOLD AS CHICKEN WINGS
WNDR Disclaimer
Identifying Fake-News Articles and Websites
Fake-News: Articles About Satirical Reports and Websites
300,000 POUNDS OF RAT MEAT SOLD AS CHICKEN WINGS ACROSS NORTH AMERICA
Original Source : https://www.hoax-slayer.net/fake-news-report-claims-that-rat-meat-is-being-sold-as-chicken-wings-across-the-united-states/