Bill Gates is not making ‘maggot milk’
Bill Gates is not introducing a “maggot milk” product into the general public’s food supply, despite online claims he is.
The claims, which are surfacing on Facebook and Instagram, suggest Mr Gates is launching a dairy alternative called “EntoMilk” that is derived from black soldier fly larvae.
This isn’t true.
EntoMilk is—or was—a real product and is made by blending the fly’s larvae, but Mr Gates has nothing to do with it. According to CNN, the dairy alternative was created by startup Gourmet Grubb in 2017 and used to make ice cream. But the company no longer seems to be trading.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation confirmed to fact checkers Logically Facts earlier this month that it has had no involvement with EntoMilk. Full Fact has also contacted the Foundation asking for comment, and will update this article if we receive a response.
The social media posts include a screenshot of an article published by Slay News, a website which has previously been scrutinised by fact checking organisations.
False or misleading claims shared online have the potential to harm individuals, groups and organisations. Online claims can spread fast and far, and are difficult to contain and correct.
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What is maggot milk for?
According to an archived version of its website from 2019, the South African-based startup Gourmet Grubb began selling ice cream created with EntoMilk as a “sustainable, and environmentally friendly” alternative to dairy products intended to “feed the urban hubs of the future”.
The company was profiled by Business Insider and CNN in 2019, but the company seems to have since become inactive, with Gourmet Grubb’s web domain now only displaying ads for an online betting service.
Gourmet Grubb also hasn’t posted on its X (formerly Twitter) profile or Instagram account since 2020, or on its Facebook since 2019.
