Fact Check: Does this image prove that no one is buying vegan food amid the panic buying frenzy caused by Coronavirus?

Hyderabad: The number of COVID-19 cases is increasing at an exceptional rate across the world causing panic buying and stockpiling of essential products. An image has been doing the rounds of social media with a claim that no one wants to eat vegan food even amidst this panic buying frenzy.

The picture is also being shared on Instagram.

The image shows empty shelves in a supermarket, except for the vegan section, implying that no one is buying vegan food.

Fact Check:

This claim is MISLEADING.

NewsMeter did a reverse image search on Google and found that this image is more than two years old. It had gone viral in September 2017 when a hurricane hit the state of Texas in the United States and Mexico. Here is an article that shows the same picture:

https://www.notimerica.com/sociedad/noticia-nadie-quiere-comida-vegana-foto-viral-quedo-supermercado-paso-huracan-20170908194147.html

According to the report, after the hurricane, all supermarkets and small stores ran out of food stock, except for vegan food. The image became a meme after it was shared on Twitter and is often used to mock vegan food.

Hurricane Harvey hit Texas and other places causing severe damage from 17 August 2017 to 2 September 2017. Here are some reports that talk about the empty shelves in supermarkets ahead of the hurricane:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4821916/Customers-fight-stores-sell-water-Texas.html

https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/hurricane-harvey/3/

Hence, this image is NOT related to the Coronavirus pandemic. It has been in circulation since September 2017 when Hurricane Harvey hit Texas in the USA. So, the claim that even amid the panic buying in the wake of the Coronavirus outbreak no one wants vegan food is MISLEADING.