Meat

Does a video of a hot dog slice under a microscope prove that hot dogs have parasites in them? No, that's not true: A food science expert told Lead Stories that this video was "completely made-up." The U.S. Department of Agriculture told Lead Stories that hot dogs are ready-to-eat products that are "extremely unlikely" to be able to house parasites.…

Does a video shared on X document lab-grown meat moving autonomously? No, that's not true: The video in question was made by a content creator who produces videos containing sculptures of food items that move as if they are alive. Lab-grown meat is not created in a way that would allow it to move autonomously. Sarcastic captions on the video…

Did the United States introduce a plan in November 2023 to ban meat consumption nationwide? No, that's not true: The claim implying that New York City's Mayor Eric Adams was somehow involved in a purported federal incentive is not supported by any evidence confirming the existence of such a plan. This is a variation of a previously debunked claim. The…

Did a study detect human DNA in many hot dog samples tested with a new type of technology, finding that many hot dogs, even vegetarian hot dogs, are made with human meat? No, that's not true: A startup named Clear Food, which was seeking Kickstarter funding at the time, published a report that identified 14.4 percent of the hot dogs…

Did London Mayor Sadiq Khan impose restrictions on meat consumption on all city residents as of October 20, 2023? No, that's not true: While the mayor publicly promotes increased vegetable consumption, he neither introduced rationing of meat nor enacted a total ban on this category of food. Posts on social media mislead about his policies. In addition, Khan first announced…

Did Phoenix become the "first U.S. city" to prohibit "meat, dairy, private cars" in September 2023 at the directive of the World Economic Forum? No, that's not true: Had it been a real ban, it would have been officially announced on the government website of Phoenix, which has no traces of it. The claim stems from a misleading interpretation of…

Is the human body "designed" for a plant-based diet and incapable of ingesting and breaking down meat? No, that's not true: Two nutrition experts confirmed that to Lead Stories. The claim in a social media post is largely based on the incorrect definition of the word "omnivore," which is a term used to refer to the species that can eat…

Did the UK's Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) reveal in August 2023 that the wildfires in Hawaii were caused by a "weather weapon" developed by the U.S. government? No, that's not true: The claim is part of a Chinese disinformation campaign. Additionally, there is no credible information or evidence to suggest that the wildfires in Hawaii were caused by such a…

Did Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee sign an executive order, around September 2023, to build quarantine internment camps as has been done in many other states at the same time, supposedly? No, that's not true: This TikTok video was first posted on August 17, 2021, shortly after Tennessee Executive Order No. 83 was issued. The executive order (EO) was extended twice…

Was Hillary Clinton executed on December 31, 2018? No, that's not true: The former U.S. senator and secretary of state has been seen numerous times since that date in public settings. She has been photographed, videotaped and given live interviews that prove that she was alive, as of September 1, 2023. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) on…