IN SHORT: When looking at popular conspiracy theories, the name Bill Gates is usually close at hand. But like so many others, this bizarre claim that the billionaire philanthropist is pushing "maggot milk" is entirely fabricated.
Disclaimer: The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation contributed 13% of Africa Check's funding in 2023.
"Bill Gates has decided that the slave class needs to drink maggot milk," reads one version of a claim going viral on social media in South Africa, Kenya and across the world since late June 2024.
It continues: "He's launched 'EntoMilk' a food-like product. Its described as a 'dairy alternative' that's supposedly similar to real milk, but is made from 'black soldier fly larvae' or maggots. His goal is to introduce this product into the food supply ..."
The claim links to a blog post with a stock photo of a mass of maggots crawling through a human skull. It's headlined: "Bill Gates Has Launched 'Maggot Milk'."
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is a US-based tech billionaire and philanthropist. He has been a common target of conspiracy theories for many years.
"You will drink the bugs and be happy!" reads another version of the claim. "Wait, what? That's right! Bill Gates' latest evil venture is called EntoMilk. He wants to replace milk from animals (cow milk, goat milk) with maggot milk."
The claim has been posted with comments such as:
- This is an actual thing and he's evil. look up Entomilk ...
- What has the evil world of darkness been up to lately? Here is just one other hair raising demonic ploy of the elites.
- Zillionaire Bill Gates is at it again. He has already got the ball rolling on eliminating and replacing all meat products and now he is going after milk and dairy.
- Part of the new "Transhumanist" diet. I feel so bad for our Grandchildren and leaving this sick world behind to them.
Several instances of the claim include an AI-generated cartoon of a crazed-looking Gates holding a jar containing a malformed fly in one hand and a cup of what is presumably EntoMilk in the other.
It has been posted on the known disinformation site Natural News, on the equally dodgy sites YourNews and SlayNews, and on YouTube.
But has Gates recently launched a "maggot milk" known as EntoMilk?
Rumour spread by known fake conspiracist Alex Jones
The claim began in a 20 June broadcast of the Alex Jones Show on InfoWars, titled: "DISGUSTING: Bill Gates Wants You To Eat Maggot Milk."
Alex Jones is a notorious conspiracist who founded InfoWars in 1999. US courts have ordered him to pay US$1.5 billion to the parents of 20 children killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting for repeatedly saying the massacre was a hoax.
Jones's broadcast uses a promotional video for EntoMilk, titled "Bug Milk", which shows how it is made from black soldier fly larvae. Two people are seen drinking the milk while the voiceover describes its "creamy mouth-feel".
The video ends with people being offered EntoMilk ice-cream to taste. Some look dubious.
The video stresses that insects may be "vital to the future of food" because they need little land for cultivation, and aren't as damaging to the environment as livestock such as cattle.
But Jones says: "Oh, it's rich and creamy? And they are feeding the black people the maggots." It's clear he's watching the video for the first time.
"Bill Gates is involved in these companies," he suddenly adds, without evidence. "Bill Gates wants you to drink maggot milk." Jones then gestures to someone off-screen, and says: "That's your headline."
Six-year-old video for defunct product
But the original video is almost six years old, first posted on YouTube in September 2018.
EntoMilk was a dairy-free milk alternative developed by South African food scientists and launched by their Cape Town-based startup Gourmet Grubb in 2017.
It was made from the larvae of farmed flies, so the "maggot milk" description, if dramatic, is almost true. The product was only sold as an ice cream and never in its liquid form, according to a July 2023 article.
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But Entomilk hasn't been on the market for years, and Gourmet Grubb is listed as "out of business". And neither had anything to do with Bill Gates.
The Gourmet Grubb website no longer exists. The company's Instagram page hasn't been updated since 2020, and its description, written in the past tense, reads: "Yes! we made insect ice cream from EntoMilk which is Dairy Free and insanely SUSTAINABLE! 2020 - we are going to level up - watch this space."
Gates wasn't "involved in" Gourmet Grubb. He's not mentioned in any of the company's online profiles. If the billionaire had invested in a South African startup, it would have made many local headlines. But there's no credible evidence of Gates's involvement.
Bill Gates has not launched a "maggot milk" called EntoMilk. The claim is false, made up on the spot during a broadcast of the Alex Jones Show.
