Hoax – Dog food is being produced with recycled cardboard and chemical essences in China.
Analysis
A shocking video has been circulating widely on digital platforms, featuring what the narrator describes as “the world’s greatest hidden fraud.” The images show, in detail, a supposed industrial process where piles of old, dirty, and moldy cardboard are transformed into premium dog food kibbles.
According to the report, the material undergoes shredding, receives chemical flavorings to deceive the animals’ palates, and ends up in bright, attractive packaging on market shelves.
The message carries a tone of serious denunciation, alerting pet owners about the risks of intestinal obstruction and chronic poisoning. The content appeals to emotions, suggesting that “pet love” is being exploited by criminals to profit from industrial waste. Read the transcript of the content and the message description:
“SO, DO YOU BELIEVE THIS COULD BE TRUE? FAKE FOOD PROCESS SHOWS HOW DOG FOOD IS MADE; IT’S ALL A DECEPTION! RECYCLED CARDBOARD WITH ESSENCE. This is the world’s greatest hidden fraud. Someone transforms discarded cardboard boxes into expensive dog food, using chemical perfumes to deceive unwary customers. Daily, piles of yellowed and soaked cardboard boxes, dirty with mold and adhesive tape, are delivered to hidden workshops. They are shredded into flakes, mixed with water to form a dark paste, and then enriched with industrial flavorings to mimic tempting flavors like beef or chicken. After drying, the cardboard hardens and becomes brittle.
It is cut into granules that look like premium food but have a rough, paper-like texture. The packaging is the final disguise. Shiny packets printed with health claims and fictional ingredients. Dogs eat with such enthusiasm only due to the stimulation of artificial flavors. However, the accumulation of cardboard fibers in their bodies leads to intestinal narrowing, digestive obstruction, and even chronic poisoning. Unable to express discomfort, owners only see the illusion of them loving to eat. Don’t be fooled by the packaging and the smell. If you really care, examine the ingredients and choose food with transparent origins. Don’t let your love become a silent harm to them.”
Fact Check
To clarify the facts, we will answer the following questions: 1) Is dog food really made from cardboard scraps in China? 2) How was the video presenting this alleged fraud created? 3) And finally, are there other similar pieces of misinformation that have circulated before?
Is dog food made from cardboard scraps in China?
No, the statement is false. There is no official record, sanitary investigation, or material evidence that industries in China or anywhere else are processing discarded cardboard to manufacture animal feed on a commercial scale.
The manufacturing process for pet food requires specific protein and lipid ingredients for the kibble to maintain its integrity and palatability. Cardboard is basically composed of cellulose and lignin, which do not have the nutritional or physical properties necessary for the result shown in images of real factories.
According to a verification carried out by the website Lead Stories, the images used in the hoax are disconnected. The video mixes scenes from waste recycling centers with images from legitimate pet food factories, creating a narrative that is visually convincing but technically impossible and untruthful.
How was the video claiming dog food is made from cardboard in China created?
The video is a classic piece of misinformation produced with the help of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and biased editing. The narration, which circulates in several languages (such as English, Spanish, and Portuguese), uses synthetic voices to give an air of seriousness and urgency to the report. To illustrate the alleged fraud, the content creators compiled clips from different sources.
Some scenes show waste shredding equipment at recycling plants, such as those seen on disposal machinery profiles. Other parts of the video were taken from institutional presentations of real agricultural and pet food machinery companies, such as Guoxin Machinery and Oudi Pet Food. By mixing images of cardboard being shredded with images of legitimate food coming out of the extruder, the editor creates a false causal link that deceives the viewer.
Are there similar fake news stories?
Yes, the genre of “bizarre food frauds” is recurring in the universe of fake news. One of the most famous cases involved corn snacks that were supposedly made of plastic because they are flammable (ignoring that fat and starch burn naturally). Another widely shared story suggested that China was manufacturing plastic eggs for human consumption, which was also debunked.
Manipulated videos have also circulated claiming to show the production of snake meat in unsanitary industrial environments. All these stories follow the same pattern: they use images of real industrial processes (often recycling or technical component production) and contextually misrepresent them to generate fear and engagement on social media.
Conclusion
The video circulating on social media regarding the manufacturing of dog food from recycled cardboard is a misleading montage that uses images of recycling plants and legitimate pet food factories out of context. There is no evidence of such a practice, and the content was generated with AI tools to spread unfounded panic among pet owners.
Fake news ❌
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