Social media posts allege Bill Gates has launched “maggot milk” to “feed the general public.” This is false; there is no evidence connecting the billionaire philanthropist to a now-inactive South African business that was developing an insect-based drink.
“Bill Gates wants you to drink his maggot milk,” says a July 2, 2024 X post shared thousands of times — the latest in a series of false claims about the Microsoft co-founder, whose foundation focuses on health and sustainability.
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Screenshot of a Slay News article taken July 12, 2024
The claim stems from a Slay News article and an InfoWars segment by Alex Jones, outlets AFP has previously fact-checked for sharing misinformation. The narrative has also circulated in Spanish and German.
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Screenshot of an X post taken July 12, 2024
In his segment, Jones incorporates ads for a product called “EntoMilk” to illustrate his claim.
Using a Google keyword search, AFP found it was manufactured by the now-defunct Gourmet Grubb, a South African company that specialized in insect-based products.
An archived page for EntoMilk says it was a dairy alternative made from a type of fly. The page mentions Gates but does not say the billionaire invested in the project.
“Richard Branson, Bill Gates and Arielle Zuckerberg have all invested in insect-based startups in the recent past and numerous edible insect species have been popularised as potential Superfoods,” the page read in December 2020, according to the Wayback Machine.
“As with many other modern delicacies, it is just a matter of time before the Western World adopts new, healthier and more sustainable sources of proteins and dairy alternatives.”
Gates Ventures, a venture capital firm that includes his personal staff and technology investment portfolio, told AFP on July 10 that posts connecting it to EntoMilk are false.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s website does not mention “Gourmet Grubb” or “EntoMilk” (archived here and here). AFP found no evidence the philanthropy has given grants to start-ups manufacturing insect-based beverages.
However, the billionaire has invested in companies that make plant-based alternatives to dairy products, such as BIOMILQ and Ripple Foods (archived here and here). Due to his investments in the sector (archived here), Gates is frequently the target of conspiracy theories about food systems.
The US Food and Drug Administration told AFP in a July 11 email that products may use insects as ingredients, but they must comply with the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and other regulations (archived here and here).
