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Melody toffee goes out of stock in India after Modi-Meloni viral video
Quick-commerce platforms across India reportedly saw Melody toffee sell out after Italian PM Giorgia Meloni shared a viral video of Narendra Modi gifting her the iconic candy
- PUBLISHED: Wed 20 May 2026, 2:49 PM
A packet of Parle Melody has unexpectedly turned into one of the internet’s biggest talking points after a viral exchange between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni sent consumers rushing to quick-commerce apps across India.
On Wednesday, May 20, Meloni shared a video on social media showing Modi gifting her a packet of the iconic Melody toffee during his visit to Rome. “Thank you for the gift,” she wrote alongside the clip.
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In the video, Meloni is heard saying: “Prime Minister Modi brought us a gift, a very very good toffee.” Shortly after the video went viral, multiple Indian media outlets reported that consumers rushed to platforms including Blinkit, Zepto and Instamart to order the same candy, with Melody appearing as “out of stock” in several locations across the country.
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The viral clip came during Modi’s Italy stop as part of his five-nation Europe tour. The two leaders also shared posts highlighting growing ties between India and Italy.
Thank you for the gift pic.twitter.com/7ePxbJwPbA
— Giorgia Meloni (@GiorgiaMeloni) May 20, 2026
“The relationship between India and Italy has now reached a decisive phase,” Meloni wrote in another post welcoming Modi. “In recent years, our ties have expanded with unprecedented momentum, evolving from a cordial friendship to a special strategic partnership founded on the values of freedom and democracy, as well as a shared vision of the future.”
What began as a diplomatic gift soon turned into a social media-driven shopping frenzy, with a ₹1 toffee suddenly becoming one of India’s most searched snacks online.
Why Melody toffee?
The choice of sweet seems deliberate, owing to the popular hashtag used by netizens to refer to the Indian and Indian prime ministers.
The term 'Melodi' was coined following a bilateral meeting between the two leaders in 2023, with social media users combining the surnames of the two leaders, Modi and Meloni, into a popular hashtag.
During the G7 Summit in 2024, Meloni had also posted a selfie and a short video with Modi on social media, saying, "Hello from the Melodi team."
Waad Barakat is a Special Correspondent covering security topics, from law enforcement to local courts. With a keen eye for human interest stories, she hopes to blend it all with unique Gen Z-inspired content.