There is a phrase that is commonly touted where rumours and speculations are concerned; if you’re not sure, don’t share it. And while that may be a pretty common axiom to stamp out hearsay over social media, it hasn’t stopped one Malaysian netizen from recently issuing a stark warning to her fellow Muslims over the alleged safety of consuming seasonings made by an American company.
M’sian netizen wrongly claims seasoning ‘contains’ pork
In a short clip that has since spread like wildfire across the local Internet space, a woman could be heard telling Muslim shoppers to take caution when purchasing any seasonings from the popular American food company, McCormick. Appearing to be filming from inside a supermarket, she fixates her camera on a rack filled with the brand’s seasoning products, in their signature green-capped glass bottles.
Reaching for a bottle of Cajun Seasoning, she proceeds to then turn the bottle around to ‘prove’ her point that the seasonings were made ‘with pork’. Unfortunately had she paid more attention, she would have realised that the part of the label that she was reading was in fact the serving suggestions, which recommended the seasonings be ‘Use On’ all manner of meats and seafood, including pork.
Understandably, the woman’s video has since been lambasted by netizens for its misleading and erroneous claims. She has since gone private over TikTok in the wake of the backlash she faced.
AEON Supermarket creates meme out of the debacle
With that said, the mistake appears to have taken a life of its own and has since spawned a rather hilarious meme, courtesy of local supermarket chain AEON.
In a recent post that was uploaded to their official Facebook account yesterday (January 19th, 2023), the company shared a graphic featuring a bottle of McCormick’s Mixed Spice seasoning with a rather pointed caption.
“Perfect for marinading if you have an ‘ENGLISH EDUKESYEN’.” it reads in Malay.
Widely shared among Malaysian netizens, many have found it to be a humorous take on the entire debacle.
“How great of AEON now, being aware of current issues.”
However, others say that the brand should not have mocked the woman for simply expressing her concerns, as it constitutes as cyberbullying.
“Malaysia ranks 2nd in Asia for cyber bullying among youth. Ever wonder why? To admin, don’t add fuel to the fire. Such a cheap marketing.”
“If you want to make a meme, you also need to look at the situation. For example calling someone ‘stupid’. That girl just voice her concern. Yes, she made mistakes but that doesn’t mean her concern is wrong. Be a Madani Malaysian citizen!”
On the flipside, another user says that the woman should be thankful that all she received was mockery and not a lawsuit.
“It may look harsh but its a lesson to all. Fact check and re-check everything you want to post.
She’s lucky that she is only being mocked. What if she was fined?”
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