The Gerber Big Mac and Fries Baby Food rumor may seem like a modern invention, but it was actually born on February 27, 2008. This tasty little tidbit sat in the dark corners of the web until a viral explosion occurred in June and July of 2014. While the McDonald’s Baby Food image didn’t begin … Read more
If you are unfortunate enough to be standing under a coconut tree when a coconut falls, you could be seriously injured. Surely, serious head trauma could occur. But would it kill you? According to many accounts, a falling coconut is quite deadly, and you are more likely to be killed by one than by a … Read more
Grade D beef is a term often used in urban legends to describe low-quality meat allegedly served in fast-food restaurants, but it does not actually exist as an official USDA quality grade. While consumers are familiar with retail labels like USDA Prime, Choice, and Select, the American grading system uses names rather than letters for … Read more
No, lemons do not contain more sugar than strawberries. Despite a persistent viral internet myth claiming that a lemon is “70% sugar” while a strawberry is only “40%,” official nutritional data reveals the exact opposite. According to the USDA Food Composition database, a 100-gram serving of fresh strawberries contains approximately 4.9 grams of simple sugars, … Read more
No, fresh vs. dry pasta is not a battle where ‘fresh’ always wins. This myth is repeated ad nauseum in cookbooks, articles, and of course, on Food TV. It probably stems from two related sources. First, it comes the granddaddy myth, or assumption, that anything fresh is always better than anything not fresh, whether dried … Read more
Since 2001, viral warnings have circulated via email and social media cautioning against the use of canola oil, claiming it is a ‘toxic industrial lubricant’ disguised as food. These messages often rely on botanical half-truths and linguistic tricks to manufacture a 100% fear response out of a 0% threat. To separate the internet folklore from … Read more