A viral WhatsApp message has been circulating recently across various social media platforms in Malaysia, warning Malaysians against buying food items from the popular German brand ‘Knorr’.
The viral posting, believed to be aimed at Muslims in the country, attached a photo of a pack of 'Knorr Pork Broth Cubes', alluding to potential doubts about the brand's Halal status in Malaysia.
A viral WhatsApp message urges Malaysians to boycott Knorr because of the company's Pork Broth Cubes
The viral message reads,
“If in Malaysia, don't buy this brand. If it (the pork broth cubes pack) is made in the same factory, surely they're mixed (with Halal food) too.”
A closer look at the packaging reveals that the product is claimed to be made with real pork and is marketed as a source of iron. Furthermore, a white, minimalist outline of a pig's head is visible on the right side, with “PORK BROTH CUBES” printed prominently in the centre, adjacent to the Knorr branding on the left.
The claim by this viral message is highly sensationalist, especially given that Knorr holds the Malaysian Halal Certification (SPHM) from the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM) in the country.
The viral claim was swiftly debunked
However, as it turned out, the claim made by the viral message has zero merit and was swiftly debunked by MyCheck Malaysia, an independent fact-checking initiative by the Malaysian National News Agency (BERNAMA).
In a Facebook post, MyCheck Malaysia addressed the viral message and clarified that the pack of pork broth cubes, while produced by Knorr, is actually not sold in Malaysia. Moreover, despite the viral WhatsApp message circulating in Malaysia in December 2025, MyCheck Malaysia revealed that JAKIM had actually addressed the same issue twice before, in 2016 and 2020, respectively.
“Unilever Malaysia (Knorr's parent company locally) had explained that they do not import or distribute any pork broth cubes in Malaysia. In fact, all Knorr broth cubes sold in Malaysia by the company are produced in Malaysia and possess valid SPHM until today,” MyCheck Malaysia stated.
MyCheck Malaysia's post was also shared by the official Communications Ministry's Facebook page, in hopes that Malaysians won't fall for the misinformation regarding the brand.
Meanwhile, in a more in-depth analysis of the viral WhatsApp message, MyCheck Malaysia found that the photo was actually taken at a supermarket in the Philippines rather than in Malaysia. Specifically, the photo was originally uploaded to the social site Reddit in 2023 with the caption, “This pork Knorr cubes I found in a Filipino grocery store.”
Furthermore, MyCheck Malaysia discovered that while the pack of pork broth cubes can be purchased in Malaysia via e-commerce platforms, they're imported from the Philippines and not sold in physical stores as claimed by the viral WhatsApp message.
With all of the above established, one thing that is still unknown is what the motive behind the viral WhatsApp message is and whether malice is involved. Regardless, Muslim consumers can rest assured that Knorr products sold in the country are certified Halal.
Jamie (saiful.ridzaimi@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
The User Content (as defined on Newswav Terms of Use) above including the views expressed and media (pictures, videos, citations etc) were submitted & posted by the author. Newswav is solely an aggregation platform that hosts the User Content. If you have any questions about the content, copyright or other issues of the work, please contact creator@newswav.com.