Recently, videos such as "plastic vermicelli" and "plastic seaweed" have been circulating online. In the videos, some people claim that vermicelli and seaweed of certain brands are made of plastic. Are these video rumors true or false?

Online video shot with a mobile phone: Now I will introduce to you that this is Longkou vermicelli, a brand of Shuangta Food, endorsed by the national mother-in-law. Now let's take a look at its ingredients.

This is a WeChat video that was widely circulated in mid-to-early March this year. The woman in the video holds a package of unpacked vermicelli in her hand, and then uses a lighter to light a small bundle of vermicelli.

Online video shot with a mobile phone: Do you think it's edible? That's all plastic? You can vaguely see the fluorescent powder. Look, it's stuck to my pen and I can't shake it off. Plastic, see? All plastic?

In this more than three-minute video, whether it's the video screen or the verbal description, the woman in the video is claiming that this brand of vermicelli contains "plastic" and "fluorescent powder."

Although the woman in the video has not shown her face, she deliberately exposed her pregnancy in order to emphasize that these fans are "plastic fans".

In fact, before this, a similar video of "plastic seaweed" was also widely circulated on WeChat and Weibo.

Online video shot by mobile phone: Come on, everyone, have a look? This is made of waste black plastic bags, it smells so bad, there is a fishy smell.

The company is unable to disprove it, and consumers prefer to believe it

The doubts about product quality in the video all point to specific manufacturers. We contacted the companies involved in the video, and how did the manufacturers respond to the doubts? Let's continue to look at the investigation.

In Luoyuan County, Fujian Province, the reporter found a production company that was transmitted in the mobile phone video.

Shi Wei, head of a food company in Fujian: At the beginning, it was our version, with the company's logo (brand) and the company's packaging. The video said that this was a black plastic bag.

Zhang Shucheng, deputy general manager of Shandong Yantai Shuangta Food Company: So far we dare not confirm it, because from the layout, it is our pre-packaged product. However, the product he took was opened, and it was half opened, so we dare not confirm whether it is our product.

The person in charge of this vermicelli company said that although it is not certain whether the "burning object" in the video is its own product, from the content of the video, the burning object should be vermicelli, not plastic.

Zhang Shucheng, deputy general manager of a food company in Shandong Yantai: The main component of vermicelli is starch, and the phenomenon produced when it burns is also the phenomenon described in the video, which will produce black coke, which is very normal. The method of burning in the video to judge whether there is plastic inside is very pseudo-scientific.

Most of the relevant companies we visited have no way to prove their innocence, and there is no way to prevent these online videos from spreading rapidly and widely.

Consumer: These things are usually posted in the group. It is hard to say whether you believe it or not. There are many scammers and fakes now.

Consumer: I definitely didn't believe it at first, but after seeing so many posts, I thought it might be true. Even if it is a precaution, I should forward it to my mother or my aunt to remind them.

In random interviews on the street, many citizens told reporters that they had received video content such as "plastic seaweed" and "plastic vermicelli" from their friends. At first, they didn't believe it, but as more content was spread, it was a bit difficult to tell the truth from the false. Therefore, they dared not buy these foods.

No "plastic" food was found in the market after a comprehensive investigation

Are these video "rumors" true or false? Are there any so-called plastic foods on the market?

In Luoyuan County, Fujian Province, after receiving relevant public opinion, the local food regulatory department immediately conducted a comprehensive investigation of the relevant companies.

Zheng Xiangyang, a staff member of Luoyuan County Market Supervision and Administration Bureau: We conducted a supervision and random inspection of laver production enterprises. After this authoritative inspection, it was finally confirmed that there were no plasticizers and other (substances).

In Zhaoyuan, Shandong, after the video of "plastic vermicelli" spread, the local food supervision department immediately conducted a comprehensive inspection of the relevant enterprises.

Wang Kuixian, deputy director of Zhaoyuan Municipal Market Supervision and Administration Bureau: We conducted a comprehensive inspection of all vermicelli produced by this enterprise, from the purchase of raw materials, production process to factory inspection, and traceability system, and found no problems.

In fact, after the rumors of "plastic vermicelli" and "plastic laver" videos fermented, food supervision departments in many places conducted special inspections, and did not find the "vermicelli mixed with plastic" and "laver made of plastic" mentioned in these videos. The person in charge of the State Food and Drug Administration also stated that those who produce and sell counterfeit and shoddy products must be investigated and dealt with according to law; at the same time, those who fabricate and spread false food safety information must also be severely punished.

Professional institutions conduct experiments to distinguish the authenticity of video content

A comprehensive investigation of the market found no "plastic" food, which is probably the most reassuring news for consumers. However, our reporter still found a professional institution to verify the difference between real vermicelli and seaweed and the food in the video.

The reporter bought the brand vermicelli and seaweed mentioned in the mobile phone video in a supermarket in Beijing, and then found experts in the field of food science at China Agricultural University and repeated the experiment in the way in the video.

Li Zaigui, member of the National Grain and Oil Standard Technical Committee and professor of the College of Food Science and Nutrition Engineering at China Agricultural University: All foods can burn. Starch (vermicelli) will expand at a high temperature of 150 or 160 degrees, so you can hear the sound of popping. The residue of vermicelli or other food burning will be ash when you pinch it with your hands. (And) when plastic burns, it drips oil, which becomes very hard when it cools down.

Experts said that the burning object in this online video, whether from the combustion process or the combustion residue, is vermicelli itself. In the video, the woman said she saw fluorescent powder. Experts pointed out that fluorescent powder can only be seen by the naked eye in a dark environment, and the vermicelli burning and glowing in the video is not a characteristic of fluorescent powder.

In the deep processing laboratory of aquatic products, we put laver and black plastic into a cup of water. The dried laver became soft and slowly sank soon after soaking, while the black plastic always floated on the water surface, and the water droplets attached to the surface could not penetrate.

Luo Yongkang, a member of the Expert Committee of China's Aquatic Products Circulation and Processing Industry and a professor at the College of Food Science and Nutrition Engineering of China Agricultural University: Laver is a marine plant. After absorbing water, it has good light transmittance and a certain degree of elasticity. This is the characteristic of laver. From her video (experiment), it is also reflected that this is not plastic.

Although the people in the video repeatedly told the audience that these foods are made of plastic. But through the verification of professional experiments, the changes of the substances in the two online videos in burning and water are actually the physical and chemical properties that vermicelli and laver should have originally presented.

The Internet exposes the hidden interests behind food fraud

So why are those videos spread online? Is there another hidden story behind it?

In fact, not long after these videos went viral, many businesses received calls demanding "compensation".

Tianjin phone recording: You are selling fakes, you should compensate me immediately, and I will not pursue you!

Seller: I tell you, you can call our Fujian Technical Supervision Bureau, etc., because this is not what we produce.

Tianjin phone recording: I don¡¯t care who produces it, you sell it! So I want to find you, whether you solve it or not, I will ask you one question.

The person in charge of this company told reporters that they received multiple anonymous calls demanding compensation. Some people even offered 300,000 yuan, saying that they would no longer shoot such videos.

In Zhaoyuan, Shandong, this fan company immediately called the police after discovering this video on the Internet.

Zhang Shucheng, deputy general manager of a food company in Yantai: As for the first video, it is very targeted at our company. I think it is malicious, because normal consumers will not do this. (So) whether it is our competitors or illegal distributors, the public security organs still need to give us the real truth.

In the shooting of these two videos, the faces of the people being filmed were deliberately avoided, and the content of the filming clearly pointed to specific companies or brands. The police have launched an investigation based on the relevant clues reported by the caller.

Wang Yongmin, captain of the Economic Investigation Brigade of the Zhaoyuan Public Security Bureau: After preliminary investigation, combined with the content involved in the video and the losses caused to the company, we believe that this behavior has violated the Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China and is suspected of damaging the reputation of commercial goods. Now we have filed a case for investigation.

Zhang Zhian, director of the Internet and Governance Research Center of Sun Yat-sen University: This may be a kind of suppression by competitors, or deliberately creating some rumors in the case of damaging the reputation of the company. In this case, we need to find the source of the rumor, so that we can confirm whether he bears the relevant judicial responsibility through judicial investigation.

The rumor spreads widely and related industries are not immune

In this scam, the company is undoubtedly the biggest victim.

Shi Wei, head of a food company in Fujian: The impact is very large. Many supermarkets, including some of our sales channels, directly removed our products from the shelves. Now the price of the entire production area, including all our seaweed, is very unstable. It is also because of this incident that our price has dropped by nearly ten yuan.

Not only this company, but also more than a dozen versions of the WeChat video have been circulated. Including Ayibo, Longjiang and more than a dozen seaweed brands, have been "cut" one after another.

In Zhaoyuan, Shandong, because of the spread of "plastic vermicelli", not only the vermicelli companies suffered, but also the entire "Longkou vermicelli" regional brand has encountered a consumer crisis.

Zhang Shucheng, deputy general manager of a food company in Yantai, Shandong:I have personally seen four versions of this, with different accents in different regions, different burning methods and different brands, but the only thing in common is that they all burn our Longkou vermicelli, a regional brand.

It is difficult to distinguish the authenticity of online rumors, and authoritative refutation is urgently needed

In this online rumor of "plastic vermicelli" and "plastic seaweed", consumers were deceived and companies were harmed. Among them, the unlimited spread of the Internet played a key role in boosting it.

If we encounter similar incidents next time, how should we deal with it?

The online videos of "plastic seaweed" and "plastic vermicelli" use the similarities in appearance between these two foods and plastics, which can easily cause confusion and association. At the same time, the reason why "plastic seaweed" and "plastic vermicelli" have developed into multiple versions and spread rumors is related to factors such as the spread of these videos in the circle of friends.

Zhang Zhian, Director of the Internet and Governance Research Center of Sun Yat-sen University: Spreading rumors with videos is more deceptive than spreading rumors with pictures and texts. In addition, forwarding through the circle of friends, with friendly reminders when forwarding, you will be more likely to believe the video, and would rather believe it than not believe it. This instinctive reaction of seeking benefits and avoiding harm is also the reason why such related rumors are repeatedly spread. It takes advantage of people's psychological mechanism.

Zhang Zhian said that rumors have some common points: for example, first, rumors "have pictures and truth", using videos to deceive and scare you; second, the title and theme of the rumor are very scary, and not following them will lead to some serious consequences; third, the rumor has no accurate source, and information such as time, place and people cannot be verified.

As the saying goes, a rumor spread a thousand times may become the truth. The same rumor is spread repeatedly and spread in a circle of friends with high trust, and more and more people will believe it.

Zhang Zhian, Director of the Internet and Governance Research Center of Sun Yat-sen University: What is the deep-seated reason? Because we are not confident enough about the quality of food safety, and we are not confident enough about the intensity of supervision or whether supervision can be 100%, so these rumors have been given the opportunity to spread on the Internet.

Xu Hui, security strategy expert at WeChat Security Risk Control Center:From the platform perspective, we need some third-party authoritative organizations to help us, such as some government authoritative organizations, organizations with credibility in a certain industry, and some media organizations. When rumors appear, such third-party organizations can clarify the rumors.