Now, I wouldn't personally buy the crap, because it's well, crap. But there are a good number of folks who do buy this because kids dig it, it has Vitamin C, and it is included with all kinds of "sports lunch" type packs. And I'm not going to dismiss your personal parenting style because (a) it's not relevant to this discussion , and (b) the stuff is better than Kool-Aid. Also, you should know what your kids' bodies can tolerate and if they can burn off the sugar. I digress..
Horrified mama took these photos before a fellow came to collect the evidence for a sample. It was later confirmed to be a 5 1/2 cm chunk of mold, which is somewhat relieving since it looks to this former hunter like a deer's hoo-ha or at least an oyster or fetid perogy. Either way it is pretty funky. Here is Kraft's response:
“We recently received word from a consumer about an issue with a Capri Sun pouch. We understand that some of you are concerned. Now that we’ve tested the material, we’ve confirmed it was mold. While unpleasant, it is not a safety issue. If this had been a safety issue, Kraft Foods certainly would have taken the necessary steps, including issuing a recall.
OK Kraft, let's SAY this is mold (I hate spelling it without an "u" but stay with me here) Um, wouldn't the proper response be to apologize like there is no tomorrow or at least pony up some freebies? I mean, this was issued to a child. Also, it took weeks for the mum to get a reply. I know from actually passing biology that mold is detectable pretty darn easily. There are also some species of molds that can grown at near zero oxygen and this funkiness could very well have originated at the plant as opposed to afterward. Moreover, I've never witnessed mold that looks quite like this, and while it may well be, it smells of contamination. I want a sample of this crap for my own analysis.
As a sidenote, Ms. Brown is not suing the company, but a few other people have noted similar funky-smelling creatures lurking in the beverage, also adding ammo to my theory of factory contamination. If it was a singular, pierced container as Kraft claims, there would not be other mums who have found the same creepy-looking (and smelling) weirdness. .
Either way, kids, look at what your children are consuming. Molds can harbour all sorts off creepies, and if you are not confident in Kraft's response, buy juice drinks packaged in transparent (and more readily recyclable) containers. The only way this mum would have found this is she actually sliced open a foil-plastic container, so I suggest repacking your kids' beverages after inspection in reusable bottles that are well cleaned between uses. Fruit sugars can indeed harbour moulds if they are exposed to yeasts and the environment, so play smart.
For Ms. Brown, I can only hope that you have recovered from this shock and Kraft has treated you well. This is beyond bizarre and I hope that you continue to scrutinize your kids' consumables as well as you have. If you weren't such a mum, you would never have discovered something that I can only call the Weird Growth of the Week.
Saw this of FB yesterday, was thoroughly disgusted. Thought maybe it was a dried bit of apple or a mushroom, but mold, wow. Still gross.
ReplyDeleteSomeone had pointed out that in the last pic you can see the shape of a tiny arm and hand. Ewww, I will never think of Capri Sun the same again.
Now all we do is need to come up with a new name for the stuff.n :P Capri Fungi? nah