This video has circulated since December 2019 -- before authorities warned COVID-19 had spread to Australia

This article is more than one year old.
Published on March 25, 2020 at 08:30
1 min read
By AFP Australia

A video of people buying infant formula at an Australian supermarket was shared on YouTube and Facebook in March 2020 alongside a claim it shows people panic buying during the novel coronavirus pandemic. The claim is misleading; the video has circulated online since at least December 2019, before international authorities warned that the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, had spread to countries beyond China.

The video has been viewed more than 357,000 times after being published on YouTube here on March 18, 2020.

The video is titled: “RAW FOOTAGE: Organized Asian raiding party in Australian supermarket”

Below is a screenshot of the misleading YouTube post:

The YouTube video was also shared alongside a similar claim on Facebook here and here. The footage was published directly on Facebook in other posts here, here, and here with a similar claim.

The COVID-19 outbreak has sparked panic buying in some stores across Australia, AFP reported here.

However, the claim about the video is misleading.

A keyword search found the video was originally published on Facebook here on the page of Australian supermarket Woolworths on December 21, 2019, more than one week before the first coronavirus cases in China were reported to the World Health Organization (WHO).

On December 28, 2019, a Woolworths spokesperson commented on the video, stating that it was shared with the manager of the Docklands store in Melbourne, Australia.

“We have a two tin transaction limit on the baby formula in place and our store teams work hard to ensure customers have access to stock when they need it. We encourage any parents who find their chosen baby formula is unavailable on the shelves to speak with their Store Manager, so we can help get them stock as quickly as possible,” the comment adds.

The stockpiling seen in the video was also reported on in December 2019 by media site Yahoo News, Australian newspaper Port Phillip Leader, and MailOnline, the website for UK tabloid The Daily Mail.

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