Tim Tams ‘May Contain Traces of Human Flesh’ Hoax Image

Image by Bilby [CC BY-SA 3.0 or GFDL], from Wikimedia Commons – This story was first published on  July 19, 2013

Outline

Circulating image depicts a packet of Tim Tams chocolate biscuits featuring the allergy warning “MAY CONTAIN TRACES OF PEANUTS AND HUMAN FLESH”. 

Brief Analysis

Of course, the image is not genuine. The image is obviously the work of some photoshopping prankster and is clearly intended as a joke. The meme caught the attention of the Internet community and has circulated continually since 2011. While most who come across the image will immediately recognize it as just a joke, a few wide-eyed recipients apparently believe it to be genuine.

Example

Detailed Analysis

This image, which circulates via social media posts, email and the blogosphere, shows a packet of Tim Tams chocolate biscuits with a quite unusual ingredients list. The allergy ingredients warning on the packet in the picture reads:

“MAY CONTAIN TRACES OF PEANUTS AND HUMAN FLESH”

But, of course, the image is not real. It is obviously just a pictorial gag created with some simple photoshopping. The image has become a quite popular Internet meme. Alas, while the obvious joke is obvious, a few more wide-eyed recipients apparently believe the image to be genuine. 



So, purely in the interests of thorough debunking, we exited the Hoax-Slayer office to buy a packet of Tim Tams for photographing.  (Claims that we bought the Tim Tams just to scoff at our desks during our 8th cup of coffee for the day are nothing more than heinous gossip).
And here is the result:

Note the complete absence of any human flesh references. Moreover, the ingredients list is actually printed on the other side of the packet and is worded thusly:

Rumour debunking website wafflesatnoon.com notes that entertainer Weird Al Yankovic tweeted the image back in March 2011. But, it is unclear if Weird Al actually created the image or simply grabbed it from somewhere else.

For the record, we ate a number of the biscuits during research, and the consensus in the office is that there was no human flesh taste at all. (We’ll keep trying, just to be thorough).

Editor’s Note: If something as innocuous as a chocolate bickie could be thought of as a cultural icon, then Tim Tams would fit the bill, at least in Australia. While the official name for the treat is “Tim Tam” they are almost universally called “Tim Tams”.