Some Filipino-Americans were thrown into a tizzy when a US retail giant apparently labelled a section of chilled food items as "Frozen Filipino".
What appears to be a merchandising snafu started trending on Facebook on Monday, with the picture of a signage indicating frozen delights for the Asian crowd inside a hypermart outlet.
It was not immediately clear if the chilling sign was displayed in a single store, or across the entire retail network.
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The background of the signage shows the signature "Low Prices" call to action of Walmart, which has 5,000 stores across the US and Puerto Rico.
Social media users took the apparent mixup in stride. One post, made by Hazel Ponce, had nearly 3,000 shares.
Comments ranged from the downright hilarious to the macabre.
Alena-Viray-Jacobs, who shared the picture on her Facebook wall, commented: "Who wanna buy???"
sa Walmart sa Sttates nakasulat Frozen Filipino dba dapat Frozen Goods from Phils or Frozen Filipino Products hehehe#ALDUBNationUnstoppable
— Yen (@yen_121509) September 17, 2018
Theresa Biggins stated on Facebook: "Only at Walmart...selling frozen Filipino."
ED Rien, a Facebook user, commented "What can you say? Walmart are selling Filipino people frozen..."
Maryzel Maniego, also wisecracked: "LOL, frozen Filipino daw sa (they say at) Walmart?"
To which Biggings quipped in Visayan language: "Indeed. It looks like they shipped Filipinos here frozen. You guys watch out."
Filipino food exports have grown over the years, and the use of "reefers" (refrigerated containers) also means frozen food items are reaching foreign shores in huge quantities.
Some 10 million Filipinos — 10% of the Philippine population — live and work overseas. The US State Department estimates the Filipino American population at 4 million, including multi-racial Americans who were part Filipino.
Filipino food items, from shredded young coconut and spring rolls to dumplings chorizos, milk fish, prawns and all sorts of condiments also make it the Middle East, where millions of Filipinos also live and work.
The widespread use of container-chillers also means a number of popular Filipino ice cream brands are able to reach pallates far and wide.
It was not immediately clear if the retail network had taken the signage down, or amended it to say what they really meant.
