ADVERTISEMENTREMOVE AD

Fact-Check: Coca-Cola Will Not Be Sold as a Cleaning Liquid in China!

Content similar to the claim was posted by a Russian website which produces satirical stories in 2018.

Published
story-hero-img
i
Aa
Aa
Small
Aa
Medium
Aa
Large

A long post on social media platforms has claimed that China has ordered the sale of the American beverage brand, Coca-Cola as a "sewage cleaning liquid."

  • The post also read that the Chinese authorities have withdrawn Coca-Cola from all grocery stores in the country due to "scientific research" on its health effects.

  • It said that 500 Chinese prisoners were involved in experiments involving the drink, leading to 75 deaths and 150 infections.

  • The decision was based on the findings, which also highlighted its positive properties in plumbing.

Content similar to the claim was posted by a Russian website which produces satirical stories in 2018.

An archive of the post can be found here.

(Source: Facebook/Screenshot) 

(Find archives of similar claims here, here and here.)

Is this true?: The claim is false. We found an article from 2018 on a Russian news satire website, Panorama that included similar content as the viral claim about China and Coca-Cola.

  • Further, we did not find any credible reports that could prove the sale of the beverage as a cleaning liquid.

ADVERTISEMENTREMOVE AD

How did we find out?: We ran a relevant keyword search and came across a Russian website called Panorama.

  • It published an article in 2018 with the headline, "Coca-Cola will be sold as a drain cleaner in China." (translated from Russian to English)

  • Upon reading the piece, we noticed that the contents of the article were the same as the viral claim.

Content similar to the claim was posted by a Russian website which produces satirical stories in 2018.

Here is the link to the article. 

(Source: Panorama/Screenshot) 

  • At the bottom of the article, there was a note that read "All texts on this site are grotesque parodies of reality and are not real news."

Content similar to the claim was posted by a Russian website which produces satirical stories in 2018.

Here is a close-up of the note. 

(Source: Panorama/Screenshot) 

  • To verify further, we came across a profile of the founders of Panorama News by Russian news website, Meduza.

  • First, it read that Panorama publishes "fictitious news." It also compared it to the United States of America's The Onion.

  • Even Panorama's 'Support Us' page notes that they are a satirical media site.

Content similar to the claim was posted by a Russian website which produces satirical stories in 2018.

Here is the link to their 'Support Us' page.

(Source: Panorama/Screenshot) 

  • Further, we also came across a couple of claims from 2018 on Facebook that also have similar contents as Panorama's article. Archives of those claims can be found here and here.

  • These were posted after Panorama published their article.

  • Additionally, we did not find any credible reports to verify that China has listed Coca-Cola as a cleaning liquid.

Conclusion: It is clear that the viral claim is false. A satirical news website posted about this in 2018.

(Not convinced of a post or information you came across online and want it verified? Send us the details on WhatsApp at 9540511818 , or e-mail it to us at webqoof@thequint.com and we'll fact-check it for you. You can also read all our fact-checked stories here.)

(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)

Speaking truth to power requires allies like you.
Become a Member
Read More
×
×