Was a salmonella outbreak reported in Georgia that was linked to Popeye's chichen sandwiches and did it cause at least seventeen deaths? No, that's not true: the story was made up by a fake news site that has the tiniest possible disclaimer hidden at the bottom of the page in an apparent attempt to mislead people into thinking it is a real news website.
The story originated from an article published by LFR Solution on August 22, 2019 titled "Salmonella Outbreak Across Georgia Linked To Popeye's Chicken Sandwich" (archived here) which opened:
Over the past week, social media users have been going nuts over the latest craze for the Popeye's chicken sandwich. Although not a new menu item, somehow the sandwich has become a popular food item choice and many have been flocking to the chicken restaurant to get their hands on the sandwich. Since the sandwich has gained popularity, it is also believed to be a source of a major salmonella outbreak in the state of Georgia.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported that more than 400 cases of salmonella infections in less than a week. Of the 439 persons affected, there have been 17 deaths confirmed. Each person that was infected with the bacterial disease have all confirmed that they all had consumed Popeye's within 1-2 days of becoming ill. With such a vast amount of people infected after consuming the chicken from various Popeye's locations across the state of Georgia, the FDA and the Georgia State Department of Health have begun conducting investigations.
Users on social media only saw this title, description and thumbnail:
Salmonella Outbreak Across Georgia Linked To Popeye's Chicken Sandwich
Over the past week, social media users have been going nuts over the latest craze for the Popeye's chicken sandwich. Although not a new menu item, somehow the sandwich has become a popular food item choice and many have been flocking to the chicken restaurant to get their hands on the sandwich. Since the sandwich ...
However the CDC website lists no current salmonella outbreak related to Popeye's at the time of writing. Here is the page where they list all active salmonella outbreak investigations.
The site LFR Solutions comes with a disclaimer at the bottom of every page that reads:
The stories posted on lfrsolutions.com are for entertainment purposes only. The stories may mimic articles found in the headlines, but rest assured they are purely satirical.
However that disclaimer is between four and five pixels tall so it is hardly legible on most screens. To us that indicates deception is going on so in accordance with our Satire Policy we rate this story "False".
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