Fact Check: Viral video showing bugs in sweets is not related to Haldiram’s store
The festival of Diwali is a celebration of light over dark, and of good over evil. Traditions of Diwali include cleaning
Haldiram Sweets
The festival of Diwali is a celebration of light over dark, and of good over evil. Traditions of Diwali include cleaning homes, lighting diyas, making beautiful rangolis, preparing sweets and sharing sweets with near and dear ones, and praying to Goddess Lakshmi to grant happiness and prosperity to the whole family. On Diwali day, people visit their families and friends and it is customary to exchange gifts and sweets as a gesture of love and goodwill. Mostly these gifts include sweet boxes, dry fruits, etc. So popular sweet shops are filled with customers who buy several boxes of sweets for their friends and family. Business people and corporate offices also gift sweet boxes to their employees.
Amidst this festive rush, a video shot in a sweet shop is being shared virally with the claim that there are worms in the sweets sold in a Haldirams store. The person shooting the video can be heard arguing with the workers of the shop that the sweets are contaminated with bugs. The caption on the video goes as “Haldiram Sweets.. Check the sweets n namkin before buying. They must be hanged. Preferably, don't buy sweets, from anywhere, in the festive season, because, everywhere, it's the same story.” The claim is shared virally on various platforms of social media along with WhatsApp.
Fact Check:
The claim is Misleading. The video is not recent.
When we extracted keyframes from the viral video and searched them using Google reverse image search, we found an Instagram post that shared the same video on September 5, 2023. The viral video was shared by a user named Nagpur. Updates with the caption “After a viral video allegedly showed insects on sweets at a supposed Haldiram outlet in Nagpur, an investigation by Nagpur News revealed it was from North India, not Nagpur. This incident emphasizes the need to fact-check before sharing content in the digital age to prevent panic and misinformation.”
The video was shared on Zee news Odia website also on September 6, 2023.
When we searched further, we found the social media handles of Haldirams refuting the claims. They shared a post stating: “We are aware of a misleading video circulating on social media that falsely claims a Haldiram’s product is “not good.” We want to clarify that the product and store shown in the video are NOT associated with Haldiram’s. As a trusted brand, we maintain the highest standards of quality and hygiene across all our products and locations. Haldiram’s remains committed to delivering safe and delicious food, backed by rigorous quality control. We urge our customers not to believe or share unverified information. Such fake videos are intended to mislead and harm reputable brands. If you have any concerns, please reach out to our customer service directly. Thank you for your trust and support. Haldiram's Team”
Their facebook page also shared the same official statement in English as well as Hindi.
Therefore, the viral video of a customer arguing with the sweet shop workers that the sweets had worms in them is not a recent video. It does not show contamination of Haldiram’s sweets during the Diwali rush. The claim is False.