THE LEFT-HANDED WHOPPER
On April Fool’s Day 1998, Burger King published a full-page advert in USA Today announcing the launch of its new product: the left-handed Whopper. It claimed the Whopper had been ‘rotated 180 degrees to ensure a better grip’ and the sesame seeds on the bun has been re-positioned ‘favoring a left-handed eating technique’. It revealed the hoax the following day, after thousands had requested the burger in restaurants across the country.
THE MOBILE PHONE POPCORN HOAX
In 2008, a series of videos were posted to YouTube showing people using the heat from their mobile phones to ‘cook’ popcorn. The videos caused a stir in the media and several newspapers interviewed scientists to debunk the claims. Eventually Cardo Systems, a manufacturer of Bluetooth headsets, admitted it had staged the whole thing.
THE KFC CLEAN-EATING BURGER
In February 2017, KFC revealed plans to launch a clean-eating burger in the UK and Ireland. Created in collaboration with food blogger ‘Figgy Poppleton-Rice’, the burger was reported to include a chai-seeded cauliflower bun, unsweetened almond yogurt, ice-cube relish, spiralized chicken breast and kale. When quizzed about the parody a KFC spokesperson told Mashable: "The KFC spokesperson isn’t available to comment as they are currently looking into an increased cauliflower demand."
THE BIGGEST WINE FRAUD IN HISTORY
In 2014, Rudy Kurniawan was sentenced to 10 years in prison, ordered to forfeit $20 million and pay $28.4 million in compensation after committing the biggest wine fraud in history. Police discovered the fraudster had been photocopying vintage wine labels and sticking them on cheap Napa Valley bottles at his home in California. Kurniawan had amassed a fortune with this deception. He sold $24.7 million-worth of wine during one auction alone in 2016.
THE HORSEMEAT SCANDAL
The European food industry was rocked in January 2013 when it was reported horse DNA had been found in a range of cheap frozen beef burgers sold in Ireland. The scandal quickly escalated as it was discovered 13 other countries in Europe had been affected – Tesco ‘beef burgers’ in the UK were found to contain 29% horsemeat. Although it posed no health risk, the scandal exposed the lack of traceability across the food chain and led to a crackdown on criminal networks working within the industry.
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