'Maggot milk' launched by South African start-up, not Bill Gates | Fact check
The claim: Bill Gates launched 'maggot milk'
A July 8 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) shows an illustration of Bill Gates holding a large bug in a jar.
"Bill Gates launches 'maggot milk' to replace dairy products," reads text within the post.
The post's caption says, "Gates announced a new food-like liquid product called 'EntoMilk' that he says can replace milk from animals. EntoMilk, by the way, is made from crushed up maggots."
The post was shared more than 100 times in a week. Other versions of the claim were shared on Facebook, Instagram and X, formerly Twitter.
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Our rating: False
The co-founder of the company that developed the milk alternative told Reuters neither Gates nor the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation had any involvement with the product. It is not included among the Gates Foundation's listed investment companies.
EntoMilk launched by South African start-up
The Facebook post's caption includes a link to an article that connects Gates to the product without providing evidence to back the claim up. Instead, the article includes a video by 60 Second Docs, in which Leah Bessa, one of the creators of EntoMilk, describes its creation.
Bessa co-founded the Cape Town-based start-up Gourmet Grubb in 2017 and developed EntoMilk as a sustainable milk alternative by blending the larvae of black soldier flies, according to a 2019 CNN report.
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Bessa told Reuters that neither Gates nor the Gates Foundation were involved with the company. She did not respond to a request for comment from Paste BN. The Gates Foundation declined to comment on the record. It does not list EntoMilk or Gourmet Grubb in its investment portfolio.
Gourmet Grubb has not been active on social media since 2020. EntoMilk's now-defunct website mentioned Bill Gates' investment in "insect-based startups," but does not claim affiliation with him. The website instead listed the company's partnerships with the Cape Peninsula University of Technology and the Technology Innovation Agency.
Paste BN reached out to the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Lead Stories and Check Your Fact also debunked the claim.
Our fact-check sources:
- Reuters, July 10, Fact Check: Bill Gates not involved in now-defunct ‘EntoMilk’ bug milk initiative
- CNN, July 25, 2019, This luxury ice cream is made from insects
- Gourmet Grubb (web archive), Dec. 13, 2019, Entomilk
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