FDA Finds Skittles Laced with Cocaine – Fiction!
Summary of eRumor:
The FDA shut down Skittles factories after finding that the candy is made with cocaine.
The Truth:
This hoax was started by a fake news website.
The fake news website Huzlers first reported that the FDA had found “cocaine everywhere” during surprise inspections of Skittles factories:
“Today, multiple Skittles factories were busted after it was discovered that they have been using cocaine to make their Skittles. The factories were busted after FDA inspectors unexpectedly decided to inspect all Skittles factories nationwide. According to authorities, the factory was filled with ‘cocaine everywhere,’ all over workers’ faces, and Skittles batches.”
The fake report about cocaine-laced Skittles was quickly shared more than 10,000 times on social media sites. Taken out of context, many social media users were tricked into believing that the story was true.
But the disclaimer for Huzlers states that website’s stories are, “Bad fake news poorly written.”