Two social media posts featuring photos of empty supermarket shelves are going viral with claims that President Joe Biden’s policies are responsible for food shortages. But these posts are using photos in false contexts. Let’s take a look at the facts.
![Two social media posts — one from Facebook and one from Twitter — with photos of supermarket shelves. The Facebook post has two photos, one showing shelves full of food with the words, “Trumps [sic] America”, and one showing mostly empty shelves with the words, “Bidens [sic] America”. The tweet contains a photo of empty shelves and reads “A look at #BuildBackBetter.” The News Literacy Project added a “FALSE CONTEXT” label as well as labels that identify where these images actually originated. All are from different locations or dates than those suggested by the social posts.](https://rumors.newslit.org/content/images/2021/10/Store-Shelves-FALSE.jpg)
NewsLit takeaway
The idea of food shortages sparks a strong emotional response, and viral rumors presenting photos of empty store shelves are common during disasters and other events that cause disruptions in the supply chain or prompt consumer panic buying. Be wary of such photos and seek out trusted, standards-based news sources for accurate coverage of supply chain issues.
- “Viral Grocery Store Meme Uses 2018 Photo To Illustrate ‘Biden’s America’” (Jordan Liles, Snopes).
- “Conservative commentator uses outdated photo in botched attack on 'Build Back Better'” (Bill McCarthy, PolitiFact).
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