Mental Floss

What Is ‘Snackfishing‘? The Viral Fake Food Trend to Look Out For

The clear ketchup you’ve seen is a hoax.

‘Snackfishing‘ refers to creating and posting fake food products (typically via Adobe Photoshop) on social media to gain attention.
‘Snackfishing‘ refers to creating and posting fake food products (typically via Adobe Photoshop) on social media to gain attention. | Yagi Studio/GettyImages

The term catfishing refers to a person pretending to be someone they’re not to trick others. Targets of such scams are often taken advantage of, possibly through blackmail or extortion. On a lighter note, there's snackfishing—which, at worst, can leave victims feeling confused, embarrassed, and hungry.

On November 4, 2023, the Instagram account UK Snack Attack shared a reel of what appeared to be a bottle of clear Heinz ketchup. The video has since earned 1.2 million likes, with commenters expressing their disgust and disbelief.

The caption confirms what many viewers suspected: The product is fake. “Snackfish :⁣ verb,” the post reads following a misleading description of the fictional foodstuff. ”⁣A snack that lies about its legitimacy as an official product online for internet clout and attention. Most commonly fabricated in Adobe Photoshop.⁣”

The man behind the account—a London-based data analyst named Benji—confessed to WIRED that the substance inside the bottle was hair gel. His deception doesn’t stop there: UK Snack Attack has shared numerous hard-to-swallow food products, including pumpkin spice Coca-Cola, glitter Nutella, and Pringles ice cream. 

Benji’s history with snackfishing began in his college days. In 2019, he and his roommates made a hobby out of tracking down and sampling exotic Fanta flavors. That led to an obsession with strange snacks, which he began posting to a dedicated Instagram account.

When the 2020 COVID-19 lockdowns made it difficult to film content in supermarkets, he was forced to get creative. He made his own concoctions—starting with homemade Nutella—and even printed fake labels for his food on Photoshop. His creations eventually became so popular that one of the brands he was imitating contacted him and asked him to add a disclaimer. Since then, all of his fake food posts have included the snackfishing tag—but, of course, many viewers never read the captions.

Cyber News spoke with Benji about some people’s reactions to the food items they believe are real. He told the outlet, “While most take the snackfishes with a grain of salt, sometimes I do see frantic comments demanding I reveal where I purchased the product! Likewise it’s interesting to see how passionate people get.” 

Read More About Snack Foods:

Home/FOOD