[facebook ]https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10210325678911358&set=pcb.10210325733792730&type=3&theater" data-width="800"[/facebook]
When her son Henry said his snack "tasted like poop," Alecia Bailey Cullum cut open the Mott's applesauce pouch and discovered something completely disgusting inside. Shocked, she sliced open another one, and another. All three packets contained the same nasty contents: Enormous chunks of green mold.
The pouches — which expire on August 22, 2017 — didn't look like a healthy snack at all. "I've been feeding my children this for years," the Texas mom said in a video. "My oldest is 4 and he's been eating Mott's applesauce in the packets since he was little."
[facebook ]https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10210325677511323&set=pcb.10210325733792730&type=3&theater" data-width="800"[/facebook]
Cullum also said she's refrigerated the applesauce since buying it a week ago. "DO NOT BUY food or drinks in pouches like this," she wrote on Facebook. "I've heard it before but I finally learned my lesson!"
While Cullum hoped to warn her friends, but she never expected an enormous response. Over 500,000 people have since shared her disgusting discovery, repulsed at her findings. "I posted it so my family could see. We all buy pouches, whether it be applesauce or Capri Suns or what have you," she told GoodHousekeeping.com. "I honestly never expected it to go viral like it did."
For some parents, her warning may sound a little familiar. GoGo Squeez recalled its applesauce pouches last year for mold contamination. While safe to eat, the affected products were "gross and unpleasant to look at or taste," according to CEO Michael Larroche. "This is not the experience we want you to have," he said at the time.
Cullum did take her son to the doctor the next morning, and thankfully the pediatrician assured her he was fine. Still, the photos didn't sit well with many Facebook users. "My son will never be eating or drinking stuff out of the pouches again," one mom wrote. "Thanks for sharing. I'm completely disgusted."
Mott's is currently in touch with Cullum, and investigating her claims. "Nothing is more important to us than the well-being of our consumers and the safety and quality of our products," the company told GoodHousekeeping.com. Using the Cullum's pictures, Mott's identified when the Snack & Go pouches were made.
"We've analyzed samples held from the same production run and found no issues," the statement said. "We have also received no similar, related calls or complaints from other people that could be connected to the issue in this consumer's social media posts. Nevertheless, we are continuing our investigation and working to obtain the affected product from the consumer so we can inspect the packaging and determine a root cause."
Worried consumers may call Mott's at (800) 426-4891 or email consumer.relations@dpsg.com with questions. In the meantime, parents might be better off just sticking to the real thing, advises Jaclyn London, R.D., Nutrition Director at the Good Housekeeping Institute.
"Pouches like these can be tricky, since they offer convenience, but have a very obvious downside: You can't always see what's inside," she says. "Choose the whole fruit or veggie as much as possible, and add them to meals and snacks as often as you can. Not only do they have higher water content and more nutrients, but eating whole versions of produce makes it easier for us to know that what we see is what we get!"
