Hoax – Christmas cookies sold globally are allegedly produced in India in a factory with shocking and unsanitary conditions.
Analysis
The arrival of the end of the year and the Christmas festivities is traditionally marked by the presence of typical foods, and among them, Christmas biscuits and cookies hold a special place in the affective memory of many families. However, the festive spirit has been confronted by a message that quickly went viral on social media, raising serious doubts about the origin and hygiene conditions of these products consumed worldwide.
The circulating story brings to light a shocking video, allegedly showing the production of these sweets in a factory in India. The alarming narrative begins with the image of a cookie that supposedly displays, on its label, the address of an Indian company called Ravi Foods. From that point, the viral video goes on to show scenes of food dough production operating in an apparently unsanitary environment, devoid of minimum food hygiene and safety conditions.
The juxtaposition of these images with the mention of the Indian company and the Christmas product suggests a manufacturing reality that is, to say the least, revolting to the consumer. Read the transcript of the video circulating online:
Do you know those cookies that your mother and grandmother used to buy at Christmas? So, check out where they come from! That’s right, my friend, directly from India. India is a wonderful place, globally known for its high gastronomy. Here in this factory we will see how the Christmas cookies that are sold all over the world are made. First, the bearded head chef picks up the plaster from the floor and promptly puts it into this medieval machine so that it can be well beaten. Notice that occupational safety is indispensable for them. All the scraps left in the machine are reused, because here waste is zero.
After being well processed, it falls onto the floor, where another worker, well-equipped with his tank top and without flip-flops, takes the dough to a clean and sanitized corner. Here, the chocolate chips are mixed in and it is also where it is blended until it becomes uniform. This is where the workers shape the delicious cookies we ate in our childhood. Everything is very well done on a bamboo conveyor belt where the dog sleeps. A totally manual and artistic work.
Now Jalin Rabei, wearing his guava-blue underwear, takes the cookies to get some air here on the slab. After a few hours, he returns all sweaty and puts the cookies to bake in this oven that was abandoned in Chernobyl. Then the confinement is sealed and is only opened after two hours on low heat. Then it’s just thrown on the floor and they fill the bags with this small shovel for picking up dog poop, and GG, your Christmas blinking cookie is ready. Would you buy it for your family?
Fact Check
The search for evidence and the tracking of the video’s origin reveal a scenario quite different from the one painted by the alarming messages circulating on social media and messaging applications. To unravel the veracity of this viral story, it is crucial to analyze three central points: 1) Were the Christmas cookies your mother and grandmother bought made in India without any hygienic conditions? 2) Are there Christmas cookies made in India? 3) Are the products of the company in question made without any hygienic conditions?
Were the Christmas cookies your mother and grandmother bought made in India without any hygienic conditions?
Although the video went viral as a complaint, the truth is that the images do not portray the actual production of Christmas cookies, nor do they have any relation to imported products from reputable companies. The content in question originates from an Indian social media channel called “India Yum Yum.” This channel is recognized for creating entertainment videos with a touch of satire and humor, often exaggerating or dramatizing food production in a fictional way to generate engagement and views.
The narrative and the shocking scenes, such as the lack of safety equipment, the dirt, and the use of inappropriate utensils, are scenic elements created to compose the content and not to document the reality of the Indian food industry. Therefore, the claim that cookies consumed at Christmas come from a production with these conditions is totally unfounded.
Are there Christmas cookies made in India?
Yes, it is a fact that India has a vast and consolidated food industry, including the production and export of biscuits, cookies, and other confectionery items, including for the Christmas period. Ravi Foods, the company cited in the hoax, is one of the country’s major manufacturers.
As in any nation with trade and public health regulations, food companies that export or sell in the formal market are subject to rigorous quality standards and sanitary inspections, both national and international. The presence of an Indian address on a product, in itself, only indicates the origin of manufacture and is not proof of unsanitary conditions.
Are the products of the company in question made without any hygienic conditions?
Contrary to what the satirical video suggests, the production at the Ravi Foods factory, which is a large company with international reach, follows hygiene and safety standards very different from what was shown. The company itself has already published videos on its official channel that show its facilities. In one of them, for example, it is possible to see a completely mechanized manufacturing process in a clean environment.
The images of the actual production evidence the use of modern industrial equipment, handlers with appropriate uniforms, and an environment that respects sanitary norms for large-scale food production. The association between the “India Yum Yum” entertainment video and the reality of Ravi Foods is, therefore, a distortion of the facts.
Conclusion
The message that went viral and the accompanying video use images from an entertainment channel, which creates content for humorous and satirical purposes, to unduly link the production of Christmas cookies in India to deplorable hygiene conditions. Although cookies imported from India do exist, the video does not show the actual production of companies like Ravi Foods, which follows industrial hygiene standards. Therefore, it is a hoax that distorts reality to shock consumers.
Fake news ❌
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