LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Imane Anys, widely known as Pokimane recently unveiled Myna Snacks, a line of health-conscious snacks that she had been working on for the past two years.
Pokimane's company introduced Midnight Mini Cookies, a chocolate cookie enriched with vitamin D and gluten-free, causing controversy.
Why are people criticizing Pokimane's Myna Snacks?
Shortly after the release of Pokimane's Myna Snacks Midnight Mini Cookies, allegations emerged suggesting they were imitations of Toatzy Midnight Mini Cookies, previously sold at Costco.
Critics pointed out that both products shared not only similar names but were also manufactured by Creation Foods, a company known for its health-focused food items.
This connection was cited as the reason for the striking resemblance and nearly identical ingredients between Myna Snacks and Toatzy's cookies. However, Myna Snacks' Midnight Mini Cookies distinguished themselves by including extra vitamins and nutrients.
One X (formerly Twitter) user accused Pokimane of merely branding an existing product under her name and selling it at a higher price, fueling skepticism among those who began to view the streamer as deceitful.
Conversely, numerous individuals, including fellow Twitch streamers, defended the pricing of Myna Snacks. They highlighted that the Mini Midnight Cookie packages contain four 400g packs, justifying the cost.
Pokimane addressed the accusation
Myna Snacks and Pokimane both issued statements in response to the accusations. They underlined that the recipe for Myna Snacks Midnight Mini Cookies is special and exclusive to the brand.
Pokimane took it to platform X and wrote, "There's been some confusion about the product I launched, and I'm here to set the record straight."
The streamer also addressed accusations that Myna Snacks is a white-labeled Toatzy. She claimed that most food products sold in stores have white labels and that ingredient refining is a common procedure in the food sector.
The main reason for the pricing difference was not because Pokimane owned the company, but rather the quality of ingredients utilized in Myna Snacks' cookies.
At the end of her speech, Pokimane reaffirmed that Myna Snacks is not a money grab. She went on to say that if she were doing it for the money, she wouldn't worry about sponsorships or place a cap on her Twitch donations.