I've had enough of [a store] and bugs in my food

I'm wondering what I can do here...

This is seriously the 3rd time in less then 6 months that I've found bugs in my food...and Packaged food.

The first time it was some kind of insect that looked like a wasp/or even a mantis in the frozen spinach, I took a pic with my cell phone- they didnt seem phased.

The second time, it was another insect in the yogurt, and now this time it is something large and again looks like a bee tail...but INSIDE a pistashio peanut...they actually roasted the bug.

I'm disgusted, so after throwing my inerds up, what do I do from here? do I have any way to hold [the store] accountable for this? this is ridiculous anymore, I'm tired of returning food with bugs in it...it is a waste of my time and my money, and now my kids are scarred for life and will never eat another nut again.

momof2onefurry:

I'm disgusted, so after throwing my inerds up, what do I do from here? do I have any way to hold [the store] accountable for this? this is ridiculous anymore, I'm tired of returning food with bugs in it...it is a waste of my time and my money, and now my kids are scarred for life and will never eat another nut again.

Throttle down on the drama.

All you might be entitled to is a refund or replacement. Period.

momof2onefurry:

but INSIDE a pistashio peanut...they actually roasted the bug.

I found one of those once.  Got a question for you:

How in the world are they supposed to know about a bug that is inside a nut?  Are they supposed to visually inspect every single nut?  That bag of nuts now costs $200.00.

Your remedy is for the cost of your food product if there is no consumption and injury.

Sorry, you can't do anything, and it isn't just [the store] ...... I didn't eat for days after I first researched this...

If you do some research, you will be SHOCKED to find that bugs and bug parts and rodent hairs are PERMITTED in foods. You will have to request the document that enumerates how many of each...... Read, and you'll be hurling your innards...... 

And, this refers to MACROanalytictal not Micro.

http://www.fda.gov/Food/ScienceResearch/LaboratoryMethods/MacroanalyticalProceduresManualMPM/ucm083194.htm#deter

Sources of Defects (Field vs. Storage) -- Insects, molds, and rodents are the principal causative agents for most of the defects covered by macroanalytical methods. In general these agents may be classified as either "field" or "storage" pests. In the field or orchard, a food commodity is more likely to be susceptible to different pest attacks than it is after harvest or during storage. During its movement from farm to the processor and through distribution channels, environmental conditions surrounding the commodity change significantly. Because of the different habitats, different species of organisms challenge the product's integrity.

(e) A compilation of the current defect action levels for natural or unavoidable defects in food for human use that present no health hazard may be obtained upon request from the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (HFS-565), Food and Drug Administration, 5100 Paint Branch Pkwy., College Park, MD 20740

You don't have to send away for anything.

The Defect Levels Handbook is online at:

http://www.fda.gov/food/guidancecomplianceregulatoryinformation/guidancedocuments/sanitation/ucm056174.htm

Here's an example. You can look it up.

Nuts, tree, pistachios, shelled - Allows defects up to 5% (including insects).

So, if you have a bag of 100 pistachio nuts, you could find 5 nuts with bugs in them.

Even if you ate them and got sick, you wouldn't have a case if they were in the allowable limit.

The store you buy your food from doesn't make the food.  They're just reselling it.  A certain amount of insects/insect parts/other things you don't want to know about are unavoidable in produce, grains and other foodstuffs and permittable under federal regulations.  (Gotta take exception to the yogurt though.  I can only assume the plant that manufactured that has some insect control problems.  That shouldn't have happened.)

The store can give you a refund for the purchase price but this isn't the store's fault.  You could have the same problems no matter what food store you patronize.

What you need to do is contact the manfacturer of the food and complain.  (a)  These issues are taken seriously and if they have a number of similar complaints will let them know they have plant sanitation and food quality issues to address, and (b) they likely will send you some free coupons (if you care about that.)

The store is not accountable for these problems.  The spinach, yogurt and pistachio nuts all arrived in sealed containers or bags.

First, understand that the store wasn't responsible for the bugs in the food. The maker of the food product is responsible since these are all packaged food. Second, some amount of insects and other foreign matter in food is unavoidable since in nature bugs and other small things are common, and will get into food. If food had to be 100% free of foreign matter, the cost of our food would be much, much more expensive than it already is. Finally, most of this stuff, while gross, is not actually harmful. Indeed, some insects have more nutritional value per ounce than just about anything else you can eat.

Unless you've been made physically sick from some foreign matter in the food AND can show that the maker was negligent, there really isn't anything to sue over. You don't get money damages just for being grossed out.

Shop someplace else.

Presumably the products are from 3 separate manufacturers, so I do not see a connection. You have been inconvenienced but not injured so you have no damages.

If you really think it is the store's fault (although how a bug could get into a sealed yogurt is beyond me) call the health department.

momof2onefurry:

I'm tired of returning food with bugs in it...it is a waste of my time and my money, and now my kids are scarred for life and will never eat another nut again.

If your kids are scared for life* after almost eating one small roasted bug in a pistachio nut then you REALLY don't want them eating another hot dog ever again.  The government regulations about what is acceptable "by product" in hot dogs and most commercial lunch meats would turn them off food permanently.  Perhaps they should bypass the school cafeteria all together.

*which I highly doubt they are scared for life.  Kids actually DARE each other to eat disgusting stuff all the time when adults aren't looking.  I got my sister to eat a catepillar by telling her it was a fuzzy tootsie roll and she turned out just fine...... sort of.   

ClydesMom:

I got my sister to eat a catepillar by telling her it was a fuzzy tootsie roll and she turned out just fine...... sort of.

Watch out.

I'll bet she's still waiting for the best time to get you back.

Revenge is a dish best served cold.

adjuster jack:

Revenge is a dish best served cold.

with a couple of pine beetles for crunch and flavor

All the food is [the store's] brand.

I've never had (that I could see) any kind of insects in other brands foods.

I will take it back to [the store] again. But, who do you report this stuff to since it's the stores brand? it has a 1-800 number on the package and says it is packaged at a certain plant...

Mom of Two:

Have you read the posts that posted? Look close enough you will find this in ALL food.  Also, please stop NAMING the store. It s against the site rules, and you will notice, it is being removed by the Mod.

ClydesMom:

got my sister to eat a catepillar by telling her it was a fuzzy tootsie roll

Thanks for that visual, CM..

YUKKKK!!!   I had a nightmare about those tent caterpillars, recently....... Was it one of those?

Between this thread and the anorexia thread, i have completely lost my appetite!

nope...not my kids...they wont eat insects and if they see one in their food, you can bet they wont eat it ever again....hence the bag of nuts that sits waiting a return to the store.

I can understand if it's fresh produce...but it was packaged and cooked...it's just really disgusting.

I've gone 36 years and this is the first time I've ever had any problems with bugs in our food- and of course it's all from this brand new store.

I guess I'm calling the number on the bag

momof2onefurry:

I've gone 36 years and this is the first time I've ever had any problems with bugs in our food- and of course it's all from this brand new store.

If there is a problem with that particular store (though it's hard to imagine how bugs get into packaged sealed products like frozen food after leaving the plant), then the obvious solution here is to shop elsewhere.