Photo shows bubble tea, not sheep feces

For a few months now, images of what’s described as "sheep feces" in drinks have been shared on social media with this claim: "Sheep feces is now in high demand because of their richness in protein." 

But the small, black balls pictured are not ovine droppings. It’s the chewy tapioca found in bubble tea. 

These posts were flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)

A reverse image search leads to an Aug. 4 story on the China Post’s website about the pictures shocking people in Taiwan after they were posted on social media, but not because the drinks were full of poop. 

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Facebook posts

stated on November 7, 2024 in a post

“Breaking: Quaker Oats bows to backlash, brings back Aunt Jemima.”

Rather, people were surprised by how much tapioca, or boba, was in the tea. 

"Did you order a glass of bubble tea or a glass of boba pearls?" one person commented, according to the story. 

We found no evidence that feces is popular in China, either. 

We rate this post Pants on Fire!