As the title states, my mum found a worm around 1.5cm in size when trying to consume a nougat bar. She found something peculiar with the bar after unwrapping it and decided to inspect closely. To her horror, she found out there was a worm lying inside and it was still alive!
My brother had bought the pack from Australia back to Singapore around one week ago and stored it in our food cupboard (air-tight). Its the $28 AUS 1kg pack for you guys who want to know.
My mum is planning to lodge a complaint to the company at this very moment. So is there any advice I should follow?
Thanks
Edit: I'll try to post pics when I get hold of the camera Edit 2: The worm is 1.5cm not 5mm wtf Edit 3: After inspecting the wrapper, it was perfectly fine with no holes whatsoever, so the worm must have been bred before the packaging
Oh dang! That's crazy I've never heard of something like that before, with candy anyway. I would just say that you get as many pictures as you can to show them but looks like you're on top of it.
Lol its perfectly reasonable to sue in this situation right? Just that its an Australian company and the product was brought back to Singapore so I'm not too sure what the procedure would be. =/
I don't understand how a worm would be alive inside a candy bar, unless it bore in there later on. So it's not really the company's fault in this case.
On July 05 2011 14:44 MechKing wrote: I don't understand how a worm would be alive inside a candy bar, unless it bore in there later on. So it's not really the company's fault in this case.
Maybe there were eggs in some of the ingredients? I dunno, that's just bizarre.
Doesn't really make any sense it would still be alive after a week, especially being in an air-tight package. The first thing that came to mind when I heard this is the severed finger in wendie's chili story
I'm pretty sure the worm just chewed through the package into the candy bar. If you still have the wrapper, inspect it for any holes. There's actually been quite a few reports on this happening, so it seems to be pretty common. Just search "worm in candy bar" on google and you get a bunch of results. There have been some theories from people in comments about how insects get into the ingredients when they are being made, but I doubt that actually happens.
On July 05 2011 14:44 MechKing wrote: I don't understand how a worm would be alive inside a candy bar, unless it bore in there later on. So it's not really the company's fault in this case.
Why not, there was no way a worm could bore inside the candy bar with the 2 layers of wrapping and a room-temperature environment. One layer is the individual wrapper on all the bars and the other one was the big pack which contained all the individual bars. The worm must have been from the company's factory or something.
On July 05 2011 14:51 MechKing wrote: I'm pretty sure the worm just chewed through the package into the candy bar. If you still have the wrapper, inspect it for any holes. There's actually been quite a few reports on this happening, so it seems to be pretty common. Just search "worm in candy bar" on google and you get a bunch of results. There have been some theories from people in comments about how insects get into the ingredients when they are being made, but I doubt that actually happens.
On July 05 2011 14:51 MechKing wrote: I'm pretty sure the worm just chewed through the package into the candy bar. If you still have the wrapper, inspect it for any holes. There's actually been quite a few reports on this happening, so it seems to be pretty common. Just search "worm in candy bar" on google and you get a bunch of results. There have been some theories from people in comments about how insects get into the ingredients when they are being made, but I doubt that actually happens.
I just checked, no holes whatsoever
Hm, not sure what to tell you then. Apparently this is quite the common occurrence but companies haven't been getting in trouble for it.
Hazelnuts / others nuts in nougat have eggs very often in them, but they use ultrasounds to kill most of them, then the surviving eggs die when pouring the hot mix of egg white and sugar (main constituent of nougat) on the nuts. I guess you found an incredibly strong strain !
You should definitely let it grow to see in what stuffs it morphs itself. If the worm is 1.5 cm, my bet is a huge cockroach :D You could take pictures every day and post them on your blog. Then take bets on what insects it's gonna be ! (You'll sure earn more this way than if you're trying to sue them)
On July 05 2011 15:10 jimmyjingle wrote: why are we so caught up with how the worm got stuck in the candy bar. it did, it's gross, and it's the fault of the company.
kids these days...
YES! No reason not to take action here. Imagine consuming a worm because the company failed to maintain its level of hygiene.
On July 05 2011 15:10 jimmyjingle wrote: why are we so caught up with how the worm got stuck in the candy bar. it did, it's gross, and it's the fault of the company.
kids these days...
YES! No reason not to take action here. Imagine consuming a worm because the company failed to maintain its level of hygiene.
Imagine consuming a worm
Do you realize that you've unintentionally eaten many insects before in your life? It's not that big of a deal tbh. The company won't give you millions of dollars. at most they'll give you a few coupons or refund the candy bar.
On a different note, I remember back in the day I was eating apple cinnamon oatmeal and I found a worm crawling around in it. It was weird, but in the end I just took the worm out and ate the rest of my oatmeal cautiously.
On July 05 2011 15:10 jimmyjingle wrote: why are we so caught up with how the worm got stuck in the candy bar. it did, it's gross, and it's the fault of the company.
kids these days...
YES! No reason not to take action here. Imagine consuming a worm because the company failed to maintain its level of hygiene.
Do you realize that you've unintentionally eaten many insects before in your life? It's not that big of a deal tbh. The company won't give you millions of dollars. at most they'll give you a few coupons or refund the candy bar.
On a different note, I remember back in the day I was eating apple cinnamon oatmeal and I found a worm crawling around in it. It was weird, but in the end I just took the worm out and ate the rest of my oatmeal cautiously.
Of course i don't expect much monetary compensation but this is definitely the company's fault. And yes I know everyone has unconsciously eaten some bugs before. Well some things cant be avoided, but when you happen to stumble on an incident like this why wouldn't you take action.
Well. thank you for making me weary of any candy bars. Probably won't be eating a chocolate bar until I forget this blog or anything to do with candy, bar or worm.
Anyways, if you know a lawyer that will talk to you for free, I'd ask him. Some lawyers will see your case free of charge by the chance that they see some money to be made from it. And when I say some, i mean a few lol. everyone wants some money in today's economy.
I think some worms may be able to chew through the plastic or a bug of some sort could have flown in,chewed through the plastic and then laid eggs. . This can be the cause of a worm in your food. May be from bad storage or could have happened in Australia or something. I've had this before and it chewed through 3 boxes of ritz and other stuff.
The effort you will go through to see any sort of compensation will be larger than the compensation you will receive. Things like this just happen. You're better off just throwing it away and forgetting it ever happened.
Usually when something like this happens (e.g. a geckon in a can with pineapple) people go public with this. It hurts the company, warns others and you don't need to waste time suing with uncertain results etc. You don't get any money tho.
1. Monetary compensation or some form of restitution is most definitely in order 2. This is because the company fucked up majorly in their product's quality control (or lack thereof) 3. Due to the inferior quality of the product, your mother was in grief and this event could have been completely prevented if they had better health safety inspections 4. This may not just be an isolated case, but a batch of the nougat bars could potentially have been worm infested. This isn't just a "gross" issue, but it could be a serious health hazard and should be treated as such. 5. Don't let other people tell you otherwise, this is a big deal and you should be outraged as a citizen and consumer and should protect your rights to the full extent of the law 6. I would probably go in for a free 30 minute consultation with a law firm that specializes in this type of situation and follow their advice 7. If the firms dismiss your situation, then just contact them and threaten to go public on them
** In the meantime, document everything, time of discovery, product code and the barcode, pix of the worm, pix of the wrapper with no holes, so on and so forth **
Haven't any of you eaten almonds before? Usually when they're no longer green, you will find many worms depending on how much care has been put into protecting them. The worm can stay alive inside the almond, what makes you think it will die if there isn't enough air? It needs very little oxygen to live. Anyway, I think insect larvae cannot bite through the chocolate bar's wrapping, it isn't soft, and it isn't solid, it is slippery and it stretches, so surely the larvae came from the fruit. Take a look at thishttp://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080215015327AAPSZU8.
This explains the weird taste I used to get in a certain bite from a chocolate bar
On July 05 2011 16:29 ThePurist wrote: What company?
My thoughts
1. Monetary compensation or some form of restitution is most definitely in order 2. This is because the company fucked up majorly in their product's quality control (or lack thereof) 3. Due to the inferior quality of the product, your mother was in grief and this event could have been completely prevented if they had better health safety inspections 4. This may not just be an isolated case, but a batch of the nougat bars could potentially have been worm infested. This isn't just a "gross" issue, but it could be a serious health hazard and should be treated as such. 5. Don't let other people tell you otherwise, this is a big deal and you should be outraged as a citizen and consumer and should protect your rights to the full extent of the law 6. I would probably go in for a free 30 minute consultation with a law firm that specializes in this type of situation and follow their advice 7. If the firms dismiss your situation, then just contact them and threaten to go public on them
** In the meantime, document everything, time of discovery, product code and the barcode, pix of the worm, pix of the wrapper with no holes, so on and so forth **
GL
Thanks I agree with you completely. Company is http://www.golden-boronia.com/. The biggest distributor and manufacturer of nougat in Australia I think. Do they have it in the states or canada?
CHOCOLATE AND CHOCOLATE LIQUOR Insect filth (AOAC 965.38) Average is 60 or more insect fragments per 100 grams when 6 100-gram subsamples are examined OR Any 1 subsample contains 90 or more insect fragments Rodent filth (AOAC 965.38) Average is 1 or more rodent hairs per 100 grams in 6 100-gram subsamples examined OR Any 1 subsample contains 3 or more rodent hairs Shell (AOAC 968.10-970.23) For chocolate liquor, if the shell is in excess of 2% calculated on the basis of alkali-free nibs
DEFECT SOURCE: Insect fragments - post harvest and/or processing insect infestation, Rodent hair - post harvest and/or processing contamination with animal hair or excreta, Shell - processing contamination SIGNIFICANCE: Aesthetic
On July 05 2011 17:31 bahaa wrote: Haven't any of you eaten almonds before? Usually when they're no longer green, you will find many worms depending on how much care has been put into protecting them. The worm can stay alive inside the almond, what makes you think it will die if there isn't enough air? It needs very little oxygen to live. Anyway, I think insect larvae cannot bite through the chocolate bar's wrapping, it isn't soft, and it isn't solid, it is slippery and it stretches, so surely the larvae came from the fruit. Take a look at thishttp://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080215015327AAPSZU8.
This explains the weird taste I used to get in a certain bite from a chocolate bar
The fuck man, after this incident I'll have to check thoroughly each chocolate bar I buy. After googling this shit seems way to common.
On July 05 2011 17:07 Velr wrote: Where is the big deal?
There was probably an egg somewhere in the ingredients... Shit happens. As far as "we" know it was just 1 Worm in 1 Bar.. Nothing more.
The worst thing that could have happened was someone eating the Worm... Big Deal...
I hate people that sue for shit like this, they make this world worse.
Are you serious? This is a breach of hygiene and a lapse in quality control. How would you react if you found a worm in your food at a restaurant? "Ah its just a worm I'm gonna be a man and eat it."
Suing them is another matter, for now we're just lodging a complain, which I think is perfectly reasonable.
On July 05 2011 17:31 bahaa wrote: Haven't any of you eaten almonds before? Usually when they're no longer green, you will find many worms depending on how much care has been put into protecting them. The worm can stay alive inside the almond, what makes you think it will die if there isn't enough air? It needs very little oxygen to live. Anyway, I think insect larvae cannot bite through the chocolate bar's wrapping, it isn't soft, and it isn't solid, it is slippery and it stretches, so surely the larvae came from the fruit. Take a look at thishttp://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080215015327AAPSZU8.
This explains the weird taste I used to get in a certain bite from a chocolate bar
The fuck man, after this incident I'll have to check thoroughly each chocolate bar I buy. After googling this shit seems way to common.
On July 05 2011 17:07 Velr wrote: Where is the big deal?
There was probably an egg somewhere in the ingredients... Shit happens. As far as "we" know it was just 1 Worm in 1 Bar.. Nothing more.
The worst thing that could have happened was someone eating the Worm... Big Deal...
I hate people that sue for shit like this, they make this world worse.
Are you serious? This is a breach of hygiene and a lapse in quality control. How would you react if you found a worm in your food at a restaurant? "Ah its just a worm I'm gonna be a man and eat it."
Suing them is another matter, for now we're just lodging a complain, which I think is perfectly reasonable.
Your eating "food", food is natural, worms feed of it. Yes, it's a breach of hygiene but it's really no big deal. If you would have something that truly does not belong at all in there, it would be an entirely different story (like a metal scrap or something)... I really don't see the big problem here AS LONG AS THESE INCIDENTS ARE (kinda) RARE AND NOT A GENERAL PROBLEM OF THE COMPANY.
I'm probably a little "hardened" because I own a big garden... Salad, lots of different veggies, Potates, Apples, Plumes, Strawberries and so on... Sometimes there are Worms/Snails/Whatever in my food (yeah, I use poison but sometimes your unlucky or are a little too lazy with it), sometimes you miss them when washing the stuff... So what happens? Well... You either spot them on your plate, or you get some extra meat with your vegetables/salad... and not a single fuck was given.
Actually I would be wary of 100% clean food, the chances are high that it's not very "natural" anymore...
CHOCOLATE AND CHOCOLATE LIQUOR Insect filth (AOAC 965.38) Average is 60 or more insect fragments per 100 grams when 6 100-gram subsamples are examined OR Any 1 subsample contains 90 or more insect fragments Rodent filth (AOAC 965.38) Average is 1 or more rodent hairs per 100 grams in 6 100-gram subsamples examined OR Any 1 subsample contains 3 or more rodent hairs Shell (AOAC 968.10-970.23) For chocolate liquor, if the shell is in excess of 2% calculated on the basis of alkali-free nibs
DEFECT SOURCE: Insect fragments - post harvest and/or processing insect infestation, Rodent hair - post harvest and/or processing contamination with animal hair or excreta, Shell - processing contamination SIGNIFICANCE: Aesthetic
And that's for chocolate, I'm not even talking about nuts !
These stats are not surprising at all. As I said earlier in the thread, you can't prevent insects to lay eggs on the nuts before processing them. So they usually use ultrasounds or other techniques to kill the eggs and preventing them to hatch, but that's it.
I have reason to believe that many claims of "bugs in food" to be false, or doctored in a pathetic attempt to blackmail companies for money.
However, the OP's case is legitimate and even if they refuse to do anything, the public has the right to know. If the company refuses to process customers complaints and do what's right for the wronged customer they should prepare to lose brand equity and market share.
I don't know where the hell "oh there are bugs in your food all time" people come from, but where I come from, bugs in food is appalling and considered unsanitary to say the least. In respect to Velr's comment above,
1) "A breach of hygiene" may not be a big deal for you, but it is an enormous issue for many.
2) What I'm saying is consumers should not be left to "deal with it" when they paid money for product XYZ. They were wronged by the manufacturer. The whole laid-back notion is flawed in a sense, because if we were to shrug off the initial poor quality control of a company, they wouldn't care/know about it and most likely the quality would deteriorate even more over time. In the end, the consumer suffers.
3) Every case should be treated seriously, it could be a potential health hazard. There is an unidentified worm inside a candy bar that wasn't intended to be there. This should not be tolerated.
4) So you are more skeptical of "100% clean food?" than insects/bugs/arachnids on your plate? In Canada we have strict health regulations and we don't tolerate this kind of shit. The "100% clean food" that you speak of, is what I'm accustomed to, even if I buy direct from farmers' markets.
On July 05 2011 14:44 MechKing wrote: I don't understand how a worm would be alive inside a candy bar, unless it bore in there later on. So it's not really the company's fault in this case.
Why not, there was no way a worm could bore inside the candy bar with the 2 layers of wrapping and a room-temperature environment. One layer is the individual wrapper on all the bars and the other one was the big pack which contained all the individual bars. The worm must have been from the company's factory or something.
On July 05 2011 20:36 j0k3r wrote: As Bear Grylls would say: Double whammy! Sugar and proteins for survival.
Now that you mention it, I remember watching Bear eat a huge ass maggot/larva thing it was about the size of a key. All these juices started gushing out when he bit into it and he was talking about the high protein content with his mouthful of larva...
On July 05 2011 20:56 ThePurist wrote: I 1) "A breach of hygiene" may not be a big deal for you, but it is an enormous issue for many.
2) What I'm saying is consumers should not be left to "deal with it" when they paid money for product XYZ. They were wronged by the manufacturer. The whole laid-back notion is flawed in a sense, because if we were to shrug off the initial poor quality control of a company, they wouldn't care/know about it and most likely the quality would deteriorate even more over time. In the end, the consumer suffers.
3) Every case should be treated seriously, it could be a potential health hazard. There is an unidentified worm inside a candy bar that wasn't intended to be there. This should not be tolerated.
4) So you are more skeptical of "100% clean food?" than insects/bugs/arachnids on your plate? In Canada we have strict health regulations and we don't tolerate this kind of shit. The "100% clean food" that you speak of, is what I'm accustomed to, even if I buy direct from farmers' markets.
I doubt the food is cleaner in canadian stores than in swiss stores....
BUT sometimes there is an Insect/Worm in thing X, not often, nearly never, but it happens. It's not a SERIOUS BREACH OF HYGIENE because there was a Worm in a candy bar/bag of rice or whatever.
Sure, you can bring it back to the store and get a "proper" product, nothing against that. But anything more is just hyperbole of some city kid that has lost all touch to the World. It's a Worm in your candy bar... Not a damn razor blade or something that would potentially kill you if you bit in it...
See, if this is a single incident, there is really nothing about this.
Do you also run back to the store if you buy an Apple and there was a Worm in it? I really hope you don't...
On July 05 2011 20:56 ThePurist wrote: I 1) "A breach of hygiene" may not be a big deal for you, but it is an enormous issue for many.
2) What I'm saying is consumers should not be left to "deal with it" when they paid money for product XYZ. They were wronged by the manufacturer. The whole laid-back notion is flawed in a sense, because if we were to shrug off the initial poor quality control of a company, they wouldn't care/know about it and most likely the quality would deteriorate even more over time. In the end, the consumer suffers.
3) Every case should be treated seriously, it could be a potential health hazard. There is an unidentified worm inside a candy bar that wasn't intended to be there. This should not be tolerated.
4) So you are more skeptical of "100% clean food?" than insects/bugs/arachnids on your plate? In Canada we have strict health regulations and we don't tolerate this kind of shit. The "100% clean food" that you speak of, is what I'm accustomed to, even if I buy direct from farmers' markets.
I doubt the food is cleaner in canadian stores than in swiss stores....
BUT sometimes there is an Insect/Worm in thing X, not often, nearly never, but it happens. It's not a SERIOUS BREACH OF HYGIENE because there was a Worm in a candy bar/bag of rice or whatever.
Sure, you can bring it back to the store and get a "proper" product, nothing against that. But anything more is just hyperbole of some city kid that has lost all touch to the World. It's a Worm in your candy bar... Not a damn razor blade or something that would potentially kill you if you bit in it...
See, if this is a single incident, there is really nothing about this.
Do you also run back to the store if you buy an Apple and there was a Worm in it? I really hope you don't...
Yes I get what you mean, that a worm is not a big deal and that anyone should not go overboard and take legal action. But the thing is if I found it in vegetables or fruits I wouldn't mind it that much, but it was found in the biggest nougat producing company in Australia. Few people would think like you and let this matter go I reckon. Shit like that happens as it is just so hard to maintain a high standard of quality control over a prolonged period of time, but when a big company fucks up people are going to complain for sure.
Furthermore, companies have gotten sued for far more trivial matters. And you know women, they always get freaked out by these kind of stuff
On July 05 2011 20:36 j0k3r wrote: As Bear Grylls would say: Double whammy! Sugar and proteins for survival.
Now that you mention it, I remember watching Bear eat a huge ass maggot/larva thing it was about the size of a key. All these juices started gushing out when he bit into it and he was talking about the high protein content with his mouthful of larva...
Imagine finding that in your candy bar Oh dam I would never touch another candy bar again in my life.
On July 05 2011 23:10 novabossa wrote: I found a cockroach in my ferro roach once :O
My guess is that larvae are accidently put into the candy mix.
My guess is that foods with nuts are much more susceptible.. the nuts are bought in tens of thousands of pound quantities from all over the world and it's likely some insects survive the cooking process or sneak on by due to some error in the production chain. Not to mention they can also find their way in post-cooking when the nuts are stored or moved.
On July 05 2011 20:36 j0k3r wrote: As Bear Grylls would say: Double whammy! Sugar and proteins for survival.
Now that you mention it, I remember watching Bear eat a huge ass maggot/larva thing it was about the size of a key. All these juices started gushing out when he bit into it and he was talking about the high protein content with his mouthful of larva...
On July 05 2011 20:36 j0k3r wrote: As Bear Grylls would say: Double whammy! Sugar and proteins for survival.
Now that you mention it, I remember watching Bear eat a huge ass maggot/larva thing it was about the size of a key. All these juices started gushing out when he bit into it and he was talking about the high protein content with his mouthful of larva...
That guy must be so full of parasites right now.
On July 05 2011 14:38 neobowman wrote: Make sure to give me some money when you sue.
And give TL a shoutout in the news interview. But make it subtle so the reporters don't cut it out.
On July 06 2011 02:01 PetitCrabe wrote: "This is unacceptable! There was a worm in my chocolate bar! Oh and shoutout to my friends on teamliquid.net! Truly disgusting!"
CHOCOLATE AND CHOCOLATE LIQUOR Insect filth (AOAC 965.38) Average is 60 or more insect fragments per 100 grams when 6 100-gram subsamples are examined OR Any 1 subsample contains 90 or more insect fragments Rodent filth (AOAC 965.38) Average is 1 or more rodent hairs per 100 grams in 6 100-gram subsamples examined OR Any 1 subsample contains 3 or more rodent hairs Shell (AOAC 968.10-970.23) For chocolate liquor, if the shell is in excess of 2% calculated on the basis of alkali-free nibs
DEFECT SOURCE: Insect fragments - post harvest and/or processing insect infestation, Rodent hair - post harvest and/or processing contamination with animal hair or excreta, Shell - processing contamination SIGNIFICANCE: Aesthetic
And that's for chocolate, I'm not even talking about nuts !
These stats are not surprising at all. As I said earlier in the thread, you can't prevent insects to lay eggs on the nuts before processing them. So they usually use ultrasounds or other techniques to kill the eggs and preventing them to hatch, but that's it.
Nuts are also on that page. Look under "NUTS, TREE"
Almonds rate 5% multiple defects: Reject nuts (insect-infested, rancid, moldy, gummy, and shriveled or empty shells) as determined by macroscopic examination at or in excess of the following levels
On July 05 2011 16:29 ThePurist wrote: What company?
My thoughts
1. Monetary compensation or some form of restitution is most definitely in order 2. This is because the company fucked up majorly in their product's quality control (or lack thereof) 3. Due to the inferior quality of the product, your mother was in grief and this event could have been completely prevented if they had better health safety inspections 4. This may not just be an isolated case, but a batch of the nougat bars could potentially have been worm infested. This isn't just a "gross" issue, but it could be a serious health hazard and should be treated as such. 5. Don't let other people tell you otherwise, this is a big deal and you should be outraged as a citizen and consumer and should protect your rights to the full extent of the law 6. I would probably go in for a free 30 minute consultation with a law firm that specializes in this type of situation and follow their advice 7. If the firms dismiss your situation, then just contact them and threaten to go public on them
** In the meantime, document everything, time of discovery, product code and the barcode, pix of the worm, pix of the wrapper with no holes, so on and so forth **
Because anyone with enough time on their hands to pursue a worm in a candy bar with that kind of fervour has some time on their hands (pl.us its a good book)
To the OP, do you really care that much? If so, follow the "sue them" culture route. Otherwise a letter of complaint or a phonecall to them. Personally I'd do nothing
CHOCOLATE AND CHOCOLATE LIQUOR Insect filth (AOAC 965.38) Average is 60 or more insect fragments per 100 grams when 6 100-gram subsamples are examined OR Any 1 subsample contains 90 or more insect fragments Rodent filth (AOAC 965.38) Average is 1 or more rodent hairs per 100 grams in 6 100-gram subsamples examined OR Any 1 subsample contains 3 or more rodent hairs Shell (AOAC 968.10-970.23) For chocolate liquor, if the shell is in excess of 2% calculated on the basis of alkali-free nibs
DEFECT SOURCE: Insect fragments - post harvest and/or processing insect infestation, Rodent hair - post harvest and/or processing contamination with animal hair or excreta, Shell - processing contamination SIGNIFICANCE: Aesthetic
And that's for chocolate, I'm not even talking about nuts !
These stats are not surprising at all. As I said earlier in the thread, you can't prevent insects to lay eggs on the nuts before processing them. So they usually use ultrasounds or other techniques to kill the eggs and preventing them to hatch, but that's it.
Nuts are also on that page. Look under "NUTS, TREE"
Almonds rate 5% multiple defects: Reject nuts (insect-infested, rancid, moldy, gummy, and shriveled or empty shells) as determined by macroscopic examination at or in excess of the following levels
I had only read the section you quoted. Chocolate defects levels are far from being the worst... Some sections are really gross, like tomato puree and raisins. I can't believe that someone in the thread said that the fact we've eaten hundreds of insects unintentionally was a myth. Thanks it was really informative.
I don't think my mum will sue them, but she definitely wants to lodge a complaint. Sent the email yesterday to their headquarters, awaiting their reply now.
On July 06 2011 15:43 Dante08 wrote: I don't think my mum will sue them, but she definitely wants to lodge a complaint. Sent the email yesterday to their headquarters, awaiting their reply now.
I'll upload pics when I get home :D
Come on Man, i keep checking wanting to see the bug, and i have been let down again. ARGGHHHHH!
I'm sure your mum can lodge a complaint through their customer service hotline. They will probably go through the usual PR routine and give her a replacement.
If your mum actually wants to sue them, then she should litigate in the country where the company's assets are, which I am assuming is Australia. However, she has a few problems if she wants to take this to court. Firstly, did your mum actually suffer any injury? So far on your account, I suppose there is the loss of a nougat bar and perhaps, some psychological effects. Psychological damage is always iffy - hard to define, prove, etc - and honestly, Australian courts aren't like American courts which give you $1m because there's a bug in your cheeseburger. Secondly, you really need convincing proof of the damage, and unless the worm is still stuck in the bar or you have conclusive pics showing that, then I don't think the case would be very successful.
Honestly, I don't think there's much your mum can or should be doing. Sure, there was a waste of a nougat bar and some psychological feeling of never eating nougat again, but Australian courts aren't unreasonable and unless there is some tangible injury that your mum suffered, I would suggest her to not take any legal action. Just tell her to go through the customer service line and see what they'll do for her.
Edit: I read some of the responses from our Canadian and American friends, and I advise your mum to not follow their advice of taking the litigation route. It will be a huge waste of money, time and other resources. Your mum will need expert evidence and a lot of information and document seeking. Your mum will need extensive lawyer and court fees. The company, if they have a competent legal team, will just drag on the case and put pressure on your mum to drop it. In the end, unless there is some actual injury, the Court will just strike out the case for being vexatious and oppressive anyway, since the company will most likely give your mum a replacement if she contacted them anyway. I suppose if your mum wanted to make it a big deal, she could go and tell Australian media programs like "A Current Affair" to report it but they will most likely want your mum to pursue customer service first and see if anything scandalous arises.
Obviously, I'm not in you or your mum's position, but I think it would be ridiculous to take it so drastically. A simple customer service call with an honest report of the situation would be most beneficial to all. I doubt worms are a systematic problem, but that's something for the company to deal with and not your mum. If it was a systematic issue, then maybe your mum can join in a case action against the company, which would make it a much bigger deal. But I don't think that's likely - it's not like they put in peanuts into non-peanut food, or a systematic electronic defect. A worm is a worm and not 1000 worms in 1000 nougat bars. That is highly unlikely.
EPT
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