Worm in Gerber Cereal!!!!

jeska511 · January 2012

Mothers, if you do not already, please start checking your Gerber cereal. I would advise pouring cereal into your own container and shifting through it. This morning I went to go make my 8 month old's breakfast. I poured some Gerber cereal into a bowl and there was a worm..a mealworm I believe which turns into a beetle....in it, along with a skin of another one..and that was only in a 1/2 cup of it! This box was new. I just opened last night and it is not expired!! My son had already had a bowl from it last night! Thank god I saw the worm and he did not eat it! I was so disgusted. I am scared to even use the other boxes I have now. I took pictures of it and the box, everything. I wrote them a very angered letter. They called me a few hours later, apologizing for it...but the guy made it seem like it was no big deal. All he did was say sorry and offer coupons..COUPONS?! as if I even want to buy their product now. I know a mealworm is not that harmful..but it is still nasty and does NOT belong in my baby's food!!! The guy said grain insects can contaminate the cereal if close by objects it comes in contact with. So with that....the beetles that these worms turn into produce 80 eggs at once before they die...so imagine how many of them were around the cereal...GROSS!!!! I am considering if I want to leave this matter as a "heres a coupon" ordeal or take it higher.THis is a picture of the mealworm or whatever kind it is!!! Surprise

akayf · January 2012

It's gross but it does happen. Most likely it got in there in the grocery store. I've found worms in other products that I just opened(rice, flour, etc) It sucks.

jeska511 · January 2012

It bothers me because I do not believe it got in there from the store. I do not see how a beetle can lay and eggs inside...or how an egg can get inside of a wrapped and sealed box.

magnoliablossom00 · January 2012

Eww. Barf! I know the man offered coupons, but seriously.... does he want his kid to eat that?

laurakaz13 · January 2012

Eh, I'm sure we've all eaten some worms in our food at some point. Sorry. I just don't get worked up over this stuff.

Throw it away and buy a new box.

Mason&Mama · January 2012

Ewwww. I guess I understand that it happens, but that doesn't make it any less disgusting. I actually pour my oatmeal into my own container (never using directly from the box), but that has just been for convenience. I will still use the cereal, but I will definitely be examining it a bit closer.

sassy_mommy · January 2012

I would be totally disgusted and would NOT leave it at just a coupon. You should tell them that you are considering switching to another brand. Then ask if they will send you another free box along with more coupons. And if they don't, start using another brand.

sberickson · January 2012

I know that they can get in flour. I heard that putting a bay leaf in it doesn't allow bugs to grow in there so thats what I do. Maybe it would help with the cereal too. Thanks for sharing though.

kelly321 · January 2012

laurakaz13:
Eh, I'm sure we've all eaten some worms in our food at some point. Sorry. I just don't get worked up over this stuff.

Throw it away and buy a new box.

This. When I find live bugs in things (not very often, but it has happened), I try to think of it positively - the food must not be very processed, or it would have died. That's good, right?

You got a quick call back, an apology, and coupons. What are you expecting out of this if you take it higher?

katie4253 · January 2012

It cracks me up that people get so worked up by this. Toss it, buy a new box, move on with life. Grain products (of all kinds) are susceptible to this. It could have happened anywhere from the factory to your house. Baby food is no exception.

sallydraper · January 2012

It's going to happen...I know it's gross, but food products aren't hermetically sealed.

I found a big worm once in a piece of fish I was eating at a restaurant. And I was about 75% done. I was disgusted, of course, but s*** happens.

CarlaAndJames · January 2012

It's not a mealworm, it's a weevil. And it's not Gerber's fault.

Weevils originate in the grains themselves and are not detectable until they hatch and grow, so they get into stored grains and no one knows about them until they open the product months later. It's very common in any grain product. Keep an eye on the rest of the grains in your pantry, because they spread quick. Just sift your flour before using for a little while.

FullHeartMama · January 2012

We used to feed those to our bearded dragon.

I have nothing else.

ElatedMom2B · January 2012

It does happen often - sorry it happened to you. As pp's said, just toss the box and get another. Perhaps move to a different brand if you're really put off by it - but it could happen to any brand. I remember when my brother and I were kids, my brother poured a bowl of cereal (I don't remember what kind - was a long time ago) and ate almost the whole thing while watching t.v. It wasn't until he only had a few bites left, mostly milk, and he finally looked down and noticed worms wiggling around in the cereal. Who knows how many he ate, but he survived to tell the tale. Extra protein - a special treat in some areas of the world. Stick out tongue

daisy889 · January 2012

A similar situation happened to me a huggies diaper tab cut DDs leg, it was unevenly cut. They sent me a few 5$ off coupons... i guess a cut is worth 15$ in savings to them..? I was furious.

Dani0701 · January 2012

I just threw up in my mouth! Good thing you saw it!

dairygirl19 · January 2012

katie4253:

It cracks me up that people get so worked up by this. Toss it, buy a new box, move on with life. Grain products (of all kinds) are susceptible to this. It could have happened anywhere from the factory to your house. Baby food is no exception.

This! I work in agriculture and while I admit finding worms is disgusting it happens in all sorts of products. It's not the farmer's fault, it's not the manufacturer's fault, it's not the store's fault. It's Mother Nature.

p1nklemonade · January 2012

it happens. what are you going to gain by "taking it higher" except more aggravation for yourself?

skidaisy · January 2012

Eh, it's just a little extra protein!

***I kid, I kid*** that is totally gross!

Once, I was eating a bowl of cheerios and only on the last bite noticed not one, not two but THREE little worms in that bite...who knows how many I ate prior to that! Ick!

Babalonia · January 2012

This happened to me a few weeks ago in the gerber cereal also. I just threw the box away and bought a new one. I wouldn't worry to much about it..one day your kid might be eating chocolate covered cricketts lol

ohfour · January 2012

I've found one of these in my Gerber cereal as well.

ams8099 · January 2012

Meh, it happens. No big deal. Your LO will eat worse in his lifetime, I am sure.

skio · January 2012

I found the same thing in DD's Earth's Best cereal once. I threw it out and got a new box, and now I keep it in the fridge in a plastic container.

Like pp's said, it's not the the brand's fault. It happens in grains and cereals. Whatev.

JSanFran · January 2012

FullHeartMama:

We used to feed those to our bearded dragon.

I have nothing else.

This is awesome lol Yes

srs5624 · January 2012

CarlaAndJames:

It's not a mealworm, it's a weevil. And it's not Gerber's fault.

Weevils originate in the grains themselves and are not detectable until they hatch and grow, so they get into stored grains and no one knows about them until they open the product months later. It's very common in any grain product. Keep an eye on the rest of the grains in your pantry, because they spread quick. Just sift your flour before using for a little while.

True story.

I about flipped my schit a couple years ago when I opened a box of bisquick. It was still sealed (I had bought it a couple months prior) and there were little bugs crawling around inside the bag.

I googled that shiz and learned a fast lesson about flour bugs and weevils. In my house, all flour products are stored in the freezer or fridge.

And for the record, I'm sure the 20 year old working at the call center did exactly what his script told him to do. Next time a customer service rep isn't doing what you think is apprpriate, calmly ask to speak with a supervisor. They're the ones who are allowed to deviate from the script prompts. If a CS rep deviates from their script, they'll get fired in a hurry.

brienne00 · January 2012

It's really nothing to get worked up over. You might want to take a closer look at your fresh broccoli sometime. Insects are everywhere and unavoidable. Such is life. Would you rather your LO be exposed to the huge amounts of pesticides it would take to eradicate those things? I would say thank you for the coupons and move on with life.

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