Fact Check: Viral Video Showing Produce Spray‑Painted in China Is AI‑Generated

A widely shared clip claiming to show vegetables and fruit being spray‑painted in China is not genuine. The earliest known version of the video was posted on November 26, 2025, by an account that explicitly labels its material as AI‑generated, and a later Instagram post on December 2, 2025, helped the clip spread.

How We Verified the Clip

A reverse image/video search traced the clip to an original upload that carried a clear onscreen disclaimer in Chinese: 视频画面由技术合成,非真实存在. Automated translators produce consistent English renderings of that line:

Google Translate: "The video footage is digitally composited and does not exist in reality."

DeepL: "The video footage is a technical composite and does not represent actual events."

Yandex Translate: "The video screen is synthesized by technology and does not exist in reality."

Visual Clues Pointing to Fabrication

Beyond the producer's label and translations, several visual inconsistencies in the footage indicate it is synthetic or heavily edited rather than authentic documentary material:

• Color Mismatch: A green pool of liquid appears in one frame while the same fruit later appears bright red — the colors and flow patterns do not match real paint behavior.
• Unstained Surroundings: If paint had been sprayed as shown, nearby surfaces and trays would be stained, yet surrounding areas remain clean.
• Clean Hands Without Gloves: The person who appears to be spraying or handling produce has no visible paint on their hands or clothing despite direct contact with colored liquid.
• Physical Improbabilities: Apples shown being stepped on don’t crack or deform as expected under weight, which contradicts normal physics for fresh fruit.
• Berries Changing Color Prematurely: Several berries shift color before any spray makes contact, suggesting frame‑by‑frame manipulation or CGI effects.

Taken together — the AI‑content label, translations of the onscreen disclaimer, and multiple visual anomalies — strongly indicate the clip is a digitally composed fabrication and not evidence that produce in China is routinely spray‑painted.

Bottom Line

This viral video is not real. Do not treat it as proof of food‑safety practices; it is a synthetic clip posted by an account that warns viewers of AI‑generated content.