CLAIM
A video of a delivery personnel purportedly tampering with dairy products is being circulated widely on social media, to claim that it shows a Muslim man who is flouting quarantine rules and spitting inside bread packets to spread COVID-19.
The claim shard along with the video reads: “फिलहाल के वातावरण को देखते हुए, पाव, ब्रेड, टोस्ट,बेकरी बिस्किट आइटम से परहेज करें, क्योंकि 95% बेकरी मुस्लिम के हाथ मे है, और उनके कर्मचारी भी मुस्लिम वर्ग के ही है जो कि क्वारंटाइन को मान नही रहे, ओर सायद इन मे से कोई रोगी (infected) हो सकता है | [Translation: Keeping in mind the current situation, avoid buying bread, buns, toasts, biscuits or other bakery products. 95% of the bakery industry is handled by Muslims who are not abiding by the quarantine rules. Any of them could be infected.]
The video is also being widely shared on Facebook with the same claim.
TRUE OR FALSE?
False.
The Quint can confirm that the video is from the Philippines and first surfaced in September 2019, long before the coronavirus outbreak was first reported. The delivery personnel in the video can be seen stealing bread and not spitting in the packets.
WHAT WE FOUND
A reverse image search using keyframes from the video directed us to several social media posts, which suggested that the video is from the Philippines, where a delivery personnel was seen tampering with bread packets at Gardenia Bakeries Philippines. The video went viral in September 2019.
Taking cues from there, we ran a Google keyword search using terms “Gardenia Philippines bread tampering” which led us to a news report by ABS-CBN News.
“Gardenia Philippines on Thursday vowed to keep the quality and safety of its products after a video of one of its delivery personnel, who appeared to be tampering with the packaging of bread products, went viral,” the report stated.
We also came across an apology issued by Gardenia Philippines after the video went viral.
Another report by Coconuts Manila corroborated these details.
Hence, an old video from the Philippines is being shared to claim that Muslims in India are spitting in bakery products to infect people with COVID-19.
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