A screenshot of a headline shared on Facebook claims philanthropist and Microsoft founder Bill Gates has launched a dairy alternative made from maggots called “maggot milk.”
Verdict: False
The claim is false. A spokesperson for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation denied the claim’s validity in an email to Check Your Fact.
Fact Check:
Gates said he wants to pay more in taxes, according to a July 2024 article from Benzinga. The outlet indicated Gates made the comment during a 2023 “Ask Me Anything” session via the online forum Reddit.
The Facebook post claims Gates has launched a dairy alternative made from maggots called “maggot milk.” “Bill Gates Launches ‘Maggot Milk’ To Feed General Public,” the headline shared via the same post reads. According to the post’s caption, the purported dairy alternative is called “EntoMilk.”
The claim is false. According to a July 2019 article from CNN, “EntoMilk” was used by South African-based start-up Gourmet Grubb to make “luxury ice cream.” Nowhere in the article is Gates mentioned, however. Likewise, the term “EntoMilk” is neither referenced on the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s website nor on any of Gates’ verified social media accounts.
A June 2024 article from Slay News links Gates to the purported dairy alternative. The same article claims, “Gates and his allies argue that EntoMilk should replace traditional dairy milk because farming allegedly destroys the planet.” The article features a video shared on X by InfoWars host Alex Jones, who repeats the claim that “Bill Gates wants you to drink maggot milk.” (RELATED: Instagram Post Makes False Claim About Gates Foundation, H5N1 Bird Flu)
Likewise, Check Your Fact found no credible news reports to support the claim made via the Facebook post. Actually, the opposite is true. On July 3, Lead Stories reported the claim was false.
Furthermore, a spokesperson for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation denied the claim’s validity in an email to Check Your Fact.
“To your inquiry, this claim is false,” the spokesperson said.