India dismisses BRICS food poisoning claims as fake

India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has confirmed that South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa and China’s President Xi Jinping did not fall ill after attending the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi.

The ministry dismissed viral claims of mass food poisoning among world leaders as fake. The summit, held on 12 and 13 September under the theme ‘Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability’, concluded with the adoption of the New Delhi Declaration.

⚠️ Misleading!

We caution against such malicious posts on social media platforms! pic.twitter.com/YvsNEQ3Jy2

MEA FactCheck (@MEAFactCheck) September 17, 2026

Days later, social media posts claimed several leaders had fallen sick, with some pointing to alleged food poisoning at the event.

According to Business Today the rumours gained traction after Ramaphosa’s office confirmed he had been booked off from public engagements.

His office stated he had been advised by doctors to rest and recover, without disclosing a specific ailment. Separate posts claimed Xi had fainted or left India early for medical reasons, despite the Chinese president completing his scheduled bilateral meetings.

MEA’s fact-checking unit posted a direct rebuttal on X, labelling the claims ‘misleading’ and warning against ‘malicious posts on social media platforms’.

According to The Statesman, no verified evidence links any leader’s illness to the summit or its catering. IBTimes UK reports that Xi attended the summit’s second session alongside Ramaphosa and other BRICS leaders on 13 September, undercutting claims he left the country early.