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Layers Bakeshop, a bakery chain that began in Lahore, has threatened legal action against people who “aim to tarnish their hard-earned reputation” after a TikTok user shared a video of a lizard they allegedly found in a cake from the bakery.

The bakery has denied these “false allegations” and said in an Instagram post that it has been “subject to baseless allegations that aim to tarnish our hard-earned reputation”.

“We take immense pride in the quality and hygiene of our products. Our factory adheres to the highest standards of cleanliness. It is technically impossible for foreign objects, such as the alleged lizard, to be found in our baked goods,” read a statement posted on Instagram.

“We reserve the right to take legal action against those involved in defamation of our brand according to the Cybercrime Laws of Pakistan. Your trust means the world to us, and we want to reassure you that we are fully committed to delivering the best products possible.”

The statement concluded by thanking the people who had shown “trust” in their brand.

The issue began when a video began circulating of a cake purportedly purchased from the Faisalabad branch of the bakery that had a lizard in it. Two videos of the same incident were shared by TikTok user @AttaYounas.

The videos showed what appears to be a lizard mixed into the cake. The videos were shared to Twitter where one user tagged the Islamabad police and deputy commissioner, despite the incident reportedly taking place in Faisalabad.

There were mixed reactions online, as some people believed a whole lizard couldn’t have been found in the cake. Social media star Adnan Zafar aka Ken Doll Dubai took to Instagram to express his point of view.

​​Drawing on his 11 years of experience in the hospitality industry, he said it would be highly unlikely for a reptile to maintain a soft texture if it had been baked in a cake at a temperature of 200°C.