6 In the 1980s, Beech-Nut marketed juice made from beet sugar and corn sugar as “100% apple juice.” It was one of the biggest food scandals of the century. The company was fined millions by the Food and Drug Administration for selling their fake apple juice. The company violated the trust of their customer, but strangely the company is still active in the market.

It’s evident that babies need vitamins and minerals during their developing phase, but when instead of these nutrients they are being served with adulterated food products by the nation’s second-largest baby food producer, that’s a recipe for disaster.

Back in the 1980s, a shameful scandal disclosed that Beech-Nut Nutrition Corp. had been selling juice made from beet sugar, corn sugar, and other ingredients as “100% apple juice.”

It became one of the most shocking food scandals, and Beech-Nut was fined millions for selling fake apple juice. Surprisingly, even after committing this major felony, this company is still in business after selling 100% apple juice with no apples in the mix. (Source)

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7 The truth behind the deliciousness of McDonald’s french fries was busted in 2001. It was discovered that their so-called vegetarian french fries had been spiced up with beef-flavored oil. McDonald’s stated that they never marketed their fries as vegetarian. After the scandal broke out, McDonald’s donated $10 million to Hindu groups.

If you are thinking that the french fries you eat at McDonald’s are vegetarian, then allow me to burst your bubble. In 2001, two Hindu vegetarians sued the fast-food giant for fraud claiming its french fries were not vegetarian, and in reality are flavored with animal products. The company has been fooling its vegetarian customers by using beef-flavored oil in its fries to help contribute to their deliciousness.

After the scandal broke, McDonald’s stated in its defense that they never marketed its fries as a vegetarian item. This scandal came as a shock for vegetarians and non-beef eaters; the image of McDonald’s was tarnished among them.

To cover the damage, McDonald’s donated $10 million to Hindu groups, as Hindus hold the cow as a sacred animal and would never dare to eat beef in any form. However, McDonald’s is still the biggest fast-food chain and continues to run its business despite its non-vegetarian menu. (Source)

8 In 2013, Burger King was accused of mixing horse meat in its products advertised as beef. The scandal came out when some European suppliers came under the radar of investigators for mixing horse meat in the products advertised as beef, and the company involved was Burger King. Eventually, Burger King switched its suppliers to keep their customers happy.

Consuming horse meat is normal in nations like Belgium and even France, but it’s a no-no in Britain. In 2013, Burger King was accused of mixing horse meat in its products advertised as beef. When the news broke out, it left UK consumers baffled. The scandal came out when some European meat supplies came under the radar of investigators.

It was found that they have been mixing horse meat in their products marketed as beef, and the prime company involved was Burger King. After a lot of denials, Burger King admitted that they have been frying up whoppers in horse meat.

Burger King blamed its suppliers for the adulterated meat. Other countries started questioning Burger King’s product content, which jeopardized its image. Eventually, after a major shakeup, Burger King decided to switch its suppliers to keep “neigh”-sayers happy. (Source)

9 During World War II, Coca-Cola in the US wasn’t able to send its classified syrup to its German headquarters due to a trade prohibition. To continue its sales, German headquarters decided to launch a new drink, Fanta. Post-war, Coca-Cola collected the profits of Fanta. Americans were not happy at first, but over time they forgot about Fanta’s scandalous beginnings.

We all love France, but most of us didn’t know about the scandalous beginning of one of its most relishing drinks. During World War II, Coca-Cola headquarters in the US couldn’t send its classified syrup to its German headquarters because of trade embargos.

When the German branch wasn’t able to sell its world-famous cola pop to the Nazis, they introduced a new drink made up of local ingredients and named it “Fanta.” After the war, the scandal blew up and Coca-Cola quietly collected the profits made by selling Fanta to Germans.

Many people were startled by this step of Coca Cola and those in the US did not like the association of Coca-Cola with “that Nazi drink.” However, Coca-Cola decided to continue to sell Fanta products, and today it has more than 90 flavors worldwide. (Source)

10 In 2011, the strangest food scandal in China came to light when the watermelons in Jiangsu province surprisingly began exploding. It was revealed that farmers of that province were using the forchlorfenuron chemical to boost the growth of their crops. As a result, their watermelons started exploding due to their rapid growth, which was much faster than their natural rate.

China is the hub of food scandals. The strangest of them all happened in 2011 when in Jiangsu Province of eastern China saw exploding watermelons, and farmers had no clue what was happening.

After the investigation, it was revealed that farmers used a chemical called forchlorfenuron in huge quantities to boost their crops. Apparently, farmers were over-spraying their crops with the growth booster to get in the market before the peak season to earn more profits.

However, they forgot that watermelons are extremely sensitive to these growth promoters. As a result, the growth of these watermelons became so rapid that they started exploding. (Source)