No Ban on Consumption of Processed Meats; Video Claim Is AI-Generated

In a troubling spread of misinformation, a viral Facebook video falsely claiming that processed meats like hotdogs and longganisa contain dog meat has garnered significant attention online despite having no factual basis.

The deceptive video, which has amassed over 1.2 million views since being posted on December 6, presents itself as a legitimate news broadcast. In it, a male announcer claims: “Eating hotdogs and longganisa is temporarily prohibited because it was reported that their main ingredient is dog meat. This has already spread in our country, so be careful.” The post directs viewers to check the comment section for a supposed list of banned meat brands.

Technical analysis of the video revealed it to be an AI-generated fabrication, marked by a Google Gemini watermark visible in the lower-right corner. The footage was created using Veo 3, an advanced AI text-to-video generator. Digital content verification tool Hive Moderation further flagged the footage as 77.1% likely to be AI-generated or deepfake content.

The Department of Agriculture (DA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and other relevant government agencies have issued no such warnings or bans on processed meat products in the Philippines. Commercial hotdogs and longganisa sold throughout the country continue to be produced from properly inspected pork, chicken, or beef under regulatory supervision.

Adding to the deceptive nature of the post, the link provided for the alleged list of “banned” meat products redirects users to an e-commerce website rather than any official government resource. Security experts identify this as a potential phishing attempt, putting consumers at risk of fraud or identity theft.

The consumption and sale of dog meat has been illegal in the Philippines since 2016 when then-agriculture secretary Proceso Alcala signed Administrative Circular No. 1, establishing a national plan to eliminate the dog meat trade. This directive reinforced the Philippine Meat Inspection Code (Republic Act No. 9296, as amended by Republic Act No. 10536), which explicitly excludes dogs from the list of food animals permitted for consumption.

While there have been legitimate temporary restrictions on meat products in the past, these were implemented for entirely different reasons. During 2019-2020, authorities limited the movement of pork products from Luzon to the Visayas and Mindanao regions to contain the spread of African swine fever—not because of dog meat contamination as falsely suggested in the video.

This fabricated claim follows a pattern of misinformation spreading through social media platforms, often using sensationalist food safety scares to generate clicks and engagement. Similar tactics have been flagged by fact-checking organizations in recent months, with bogus links redirecting users to suspicious websites.

Food safety experts emphasize that the Philippine meat processing industry operates under strict regulatory frameworks. Processed meat products available in legitimate markets undergo inspection and certification procedures to ensure they meet safety and quality standards before reaching consumers.

Authorities encourage the public to verify information from official government channels and trusted news sources before sharing content that makes alarming claims about food safety. Consumers with concerns about food products should consult the FDA or Department of Agriculture websites for accurate information rather than relying on unverified social media posts.

The spread of such false information not only creates unnecessary public alarm but can potentially harm legitimate businesses in the food processing industry by damaging consumer trust without justification.