FACT CHECK: Does The Military Have A Handbook On ‘Mayonnaise Safety’?

Christine SellersAugust 11, 2022

A post shared on Facebook claims the U.S. military has a handbook on mayonnaise safety.

Verdict: False

The image is digitally fabricated. There is no evidence to suggest the military has such a handbook.

Fact Check:

The image shared on Facebook claims the U.S. military has a handbook on mayonnaise safety. “Now declassified!” reads the post’s caption. The post features an image of the supposed “Military Handbook” on “Mayonnaise Safety,” which includes an official-looking Department of Defense seal. The handbook is marked with an identification number, “MIL-HDBK-213,” and is dated November 2, 1959. Additionally, the handbook is stamped with the code “FSC 5960” on the bottom right side of the cover.

The image is digitally fabricated. A reverse image search generates the actual military handbook in question, which is titled “Electron Tubes, Interchangeability Directory.” The handbook shares the same identification number, date, and code as the fabricated image and is available for purchase online,

An internet search using the code “FSC 5960” reveals it is a Federal Supply Classification. The more recent Federal Supply Classification handbook from the Department of the Army Supply indicates that code relates to a class of electron tubes and associated hardware that includes rectifying tubes and photoelectric tubes. (RELATED: Is The Omicron Variant Named After Military Codes?)

The U.S. military is currently experiencing a shortfall in enlistments, according to The New York Times. The Army’s recruiting efforts in particular have been negatively impacted due in part to a shrinking pool of qualified candidates and changing attitudes toward work as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, USA Today reported.

Check Your Fact has reached out to the Department of Defense and the U.S. Army’s Center of Military History’s Field Historian Program for comment and will update this piece accordingly if one is received.