Is Tide removing Tide PODS from shelves on February 1st? Fact Check

Rumours are circulating social media that laundry detergent brand Tide are removing their famous Tide POD products from the shelves on February 1st amidst controversy surrounding the hapless and dangerous Tide POD Challenge.

In a demonstration that some people will do almost anything to grab even a little bit of online attention, the first big “meme” (but we’re not entirely sure this foolishness qualifies as a meme) to emerge from 2018 is eating laundry detergent liquid.

Or more specifically, eating Tide PODS, which are brightly coloured pods from Tide that are full of detergent liquid that is most definitely not edible.

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Perhaps to a very small child, the pods could resemble a sweetie (USA: piece of candy.) and perhaps it is this passing resemblance that was enough for the pods to have been picked for the bizarre Tide POD eating challenge. (Tide released a video explaining exactly how to not eat a Tide POD here.)

Either way, it’s silly and very dangerous, and please don’t do it. However the craze has spurred another rumour; Tide has announced that amidst the controversy they will be removing their POD products from February 1st 2018. An image of a tweet allegedly from Tide claims as follows

We regret to inform you, we will be removing Tide Pods from shelves starting February 1st. It’s been a good run, but we can’t risk lives over having clean clothes.

Eagled eyed readers would have soon correctly deduced that the tweet is in fact completely fake, and Tide has made no such announcement.

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The tweet is demonstrably fake because –

– The name of the product in the tweet is incorrect. Pods should be PODS. We imagine the social media guy for Tide would have known that.
– There is no timestamp displayed on the tweet; all tweets have a timestamp.
– There is no record (or cached record) of Tide ever publishing that tweet.

No Tide are not removing their POD products from the shelves.

Also, please don’t eat laundry detergent, and please don’t share online nonsense.