Fact Check

No, Frontex has not warned that 330,000 migrants will arrive in the European Union in 2023

Fact Check, Politics

Online articles and social media posts widely shared in Greek at the end of January 2023 claimed the EU border agency Frontex had warned that 330,000 migrants would enter Europe over 2023 after the same number had arrived the previous year. These posts are wrong. The agency said in a news release that it had counted 330,000 irregular entries into the EU over the 2022. It made no projections for 2023. Frontex’s figures include people who cross borders several times and so are counted several times, which has caused confusion before. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates 188,000 people entered Europe illegally in 2022, which researchers say is a more reliable figure.

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Product codes starting with the number eight do not identify genetically modified produce

Environment, Fact Check, Health, Society

Fruit and vegetables labelled with a five-digit product code starting with “8” have not been genetically modified, contrary to what has been claimed in posts shared hundreds of times on Facebook since December. While it is true that the prefix “8” was initially intended to label transgenic produce, the International Federation of Produce Standards (IFPS) – which is responsible for establishing Price Look Up (PLU) codes for fruit and vegetables – has never used it in this way. Product codes beginning with 8 will be used to designate new products in the near future. Under Greek law, products containing genetically modified organisms – or “GMOs” – must be clearly labelled as such at the point of sale.

Product codes starting with the number eight do not identify genetically modified produce Read More »

The Mediterranean Digital Media Observatory (MedDMO) is an alliance of fact-checkers, media literacy experts and scientists taking a coordinated approach to combating disinformation and misinformation.

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