Food safety experts have urged the public to 'not worry' after a Woolworths customer shared a horrifying discovery inside a moldy juice carton.
X The customer, who uses the handle @lu_lulama, claimed he was “traumatized” after finding what appeared to be “intestines” in his branded beverage.
But what exactly did she find? And does it pose any danger?
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Food experts talk about what's inside boxed drinks
On Wednesday, January 31st, @lu_lulama shared the inside of a Woolworths brand juice cartoon.
she tweeted. “When we poured the juice, something black came out. We shook the bottle and felt there was something else inside. When we opened the bottle, we found this. What is this? Is that so?”
In another tweet, the customer added: “This looks like intestines or something. I'm disgusted and traumatized! I'm taking all of these juices home. I'll never buy them again!”
Professor Peter Gauss of Stellenbosch University's Center for Food Safety said the dark matter inside was likely the result of mold that developed after the carton was unsealed. This could have happened if the customer unintentionally or intentionally broke the seal on the box, exposing the contents to high temperatures.
“If air gets into the products on the shelf and they're exposed to high temperatures as they leave the store, mold will form,” Gouse told consumer journalist Wendy Knowler.
He added: “If more than 1% of a batch has mold, that's an indication of a production issue. But in these cases, it's almost always because the lids have been tampered with in post-production. This is the cause.”
Asked whether the problem poses a health risk, Gouse said: “It is most likely a putrid mold such as Penicillium, and the blue veins in blue cheese are an active growth of this microorganism. , there's no need to worry.''
Woolworths conducts research
In its official response, Woolworths claimed it would launch an investigation into the customer findings.
The statement reads: “We are in contact with our customers and are treating this as a priority. Our team and suppliers will collect samples and begin an investigation into what went wrong. Information will be made available.”
