AVA debunks 'plastic keropok' viral video, cautions against spreading fake news
SINGAPORE: The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) has cautioned the public against believing or spreading fake news, after a video of a man claiming a stall sold plastic keropok lekor went viral.
Keropok lekor is a traditional Malay fish cracker snack made primarily from fish and sago flour.
Advertisement“Fake food is in the spotlight again. This time, things just became hotter with a circulating video of a man lighting up a piece of keropok lekor, allegedly made of plastic,” AVA wrote in a Facebook post on Thursday (May 24).
The video, first uploaded by Facebook user Anissul Asaad on Tuesday, shows a man in front of a keropok stall at Geylang Ramadan bazaar.
In full view of workers manning the stall, he uses a lighter to set fire to the fried treat.
AdvertisementAdvertisement“Please don’t sell this, it’s plastic. Can real ‘keropok lekor’ burn like this? What I mean is, don’t sell, cannot sell ... better don’t sell, for health reasons. This is plastic! I know from the smell,” he told stall attendants while holding up the flaming fish cracker.
Towards the end of the video, a child can be heard exclaiming: “I’m so sad, I just ate something that is plastic.”
“Before you jump to any conclusions, we would like to clarify that we have not received any feedback on the cracker, and have not detected any fake food (i.e. food made with synthetic materials) in Singapore thus far,” AVA said.
AVA also debunked the belief that the fish cracker was made of plastic, explaining that food products can burn in a similar continuous manner and become charred if it contains fats, carbohydrates and protein.
As of Friday, the video received around 476,000 views and was shared 5,300 times. Many commenters also spoke out in support of the stall-owners and criticised the ignorance of the man in the video.
“If you burn plastic first, the chemical starts to come together to form a liquid, thus dripping onto the surface with a greenish colour … (the keropok) became black because whatever you burn also (becomes) black,” said one netizen.
Before believing or spreading such “fake news”, AVA advised the public to “exercise good judgment” on the credibility of the information source.
AVA also reminded the public to refer to official information sources including AVA’s website and social media platforms.
This is not the first time fake news about alleged “fake food” has made the headlines.
In November last year, AVA confirmed the authenticity of Happy Family rice, following claims that the “fake rice” had caused a family to fall ill.
In April 2017, AVA confirmed that the eggs sold in a coffee shop at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 6 were real, after allegations surfaced that the eggs were “man-made” and “from China”.
Let's block ads! (Why?)
More...
SINGAPORE: The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) has cautioned the public against believing or spreading fake news, after a video of a man claiming a stall sold plastic keropok lekor went viral.
Keropok lekor is a traditional Malay fish cracker snack made primarily from fish and sago flour.
Advertisement“Fake food is in the spotlight again. This time, things just became hotter with a circulating video of a man lighting up a piece of keropok lekor, allegedly made of plastic,” AVA wrote in a Facebook post on Thursday (May 24).
The video, first uploaded by Facebook user Anissul Asaad on Tuesday, shows a man in front of a keropok stall at Geylang Ramadan bazaar.
In full view of workers manning the stall, he uses a lighter to set fire to the fried treat.
AdvertisementAdvertisement“Please don’t sell this, it’s plastic. Can real ‘keropok lekor’ burn like this? What I mean is, don’t sell, cannot sell ... better don’t sell, for health reasons. This is plastic! I know from the smell,” he told stall attendants while holding up the flaming fish cracker.
Towards the end of the video, a child can be heard exclaiming: “I’m so sad, I just ate something that is plastic.”
“Before you jump to any conclusions, we would like to clarify that we have not received any feedback on the cracker, and have not detected any fake food (i.e. food made with synthetic materials) in Singapore thus far,” AVA said.
AVA also debunked the belief that the fish cracker was made of plastic, explaining that food products can burn in a similar continuous manner and become charred if it contains fats, carbohydrates and protein.
As of Friday, the video received around 476,000 views and was shared 5,300 times. Many commenters also spoke out in support of the stall-owners and criticised the ignorance of the man in the video.
“If you burn plastic first, the chemical starts to come together to form a liquid, thus dripping onto the surface with a greenish colour … (the keropok) became black because whatever you burn also (becomes) black,” said one netizen.
Before believing or spreading such “fake news”, AVA advised the public to “exercise good judgment” on the credibility of the information source.
AVA also reminded the public to refer to official information sources including AVA’s website and social media platforms.
This is not the first time fake news about alleged “fake food” has made the headlines.
In November last year, AVA confirmed the authenticity of Happy Family rice, following claims that the “fake rice” had caused a family to fall ill.
In April 2017, AVA confirmed that the eggs sold in a coffee shop at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 6 were real, after allegations surfaced that the eggs were “man-made” and “from China”.
Let's block ads! (Why?)
More...