A teenager from Texas has been questioned by police after footage went viral of her taking a tub of ice cream and licking it, before returning it to a Walmart freezer.
The 17-year-old girl was shown laughing as she placed the top back on the half-gallon container of Blue Bell Ice Cream.
Blue Bell Creameries said in a statement that it determined a Walmart store in Lufkin was where “the malicious act of food tampering took place”.
The company said the container that was “compromised” was found and removed, before adding that “food tampering is not a joke”.
After the event, someone posted on Instagram appearing to take credit for the act.
They wrote: “Yeah, I really did that. You can call it Flu Bell ice cream now ‘cause I was a lil sick last week. Repost yourself doing this. Let’s see if we can start an epidemic (literally).”
However, Lufkin police said this was actually a catfish.
Police said: “There were roughly 4-6 women with similar screen names and appearances that law enforcement had to eliminate – including the catfish – before getting to the actual suspect.”
The teenager will not be charged with tampering with a consumer product, they added.
It is not clear if juvenile justice authorities may charge her.
The teenager was filmed by her boyfriend, who is an adult. He may face charges and police are discussing his involvement with prosecutors.