Fifty Plus (50+) - OT - A "BUG" Story - any suggestions?

A few days ago I bought a 42 oz box of store brand oatmeal at a King Soopers (Krogers) store near me in Parker - Jordan and Lincoln.

Bicycle related - I often ride my bike there.

I got home and we had oatmeal for breakfast.

This morning, I looked in our "oatmeal scoop" and saw four 1/4" bugs wiggling around.

I poured some cereal into a bowl, added water, and about 20 bugs floated to the surface.

I called the King Soopers store and asked them to check the cereal on the shelf. They said they would.

This afternoon, I returned the buggy cereal and bought another in its place, assuming they had been checked.

I got home and, you guessed it - bugs all over the place.

I called the main King Soopers office here in Denver and told them about the situation. They wanted me to mail them a bug! I told them, "no" but they could have someone from the store come and see the bugs. They were to call me back, but never have.

I called the health department, and, while very sympathetic, they don't handle pre-packaged goods, and gave me the name of a Colorado Consumer Product Safety guy who is supposed to handle this, but he is out of the office until Monday.

I have called the local radio and TV stations. They aren't very excited either!

Crunch!

Any suggestions?

Hundreds of people ar going to unknowingly have some extra protein this weekend!

Keep after the Product safety guy but don't hold your breath..Read the fine print on the box and see if there is a commercial house that is packaging the stuff for the store. Find and call them if possible.

I had a set of defective cans from Pepsi once that would rip you up with mis made pop top holes and a complaint to them brought "were sorry messages" and a free case. Brand names seem to take unhappy consumers more seriously.

Keep after the Product safety guy but don't hold your breath..Read the fine print on the box and see if there is a commercial house that is packaging the stuff for the store. Find and call them if possible.

I had a set of defective cans from Pepsi once that would rip you up with mis made pop top holes and a complaint to them brought "were sorry messages" and a free case. Brand names seem to take unhappy consumers more seriously.

I submitted it to 5 tv stations, one radio station, and 2 newspapers. One of the TV stations sent me this message!

When I lived in southern Mexico, a local delicacy was baked grasshoppers with chili powder sprinkled on. Actually quite tasty once you got past the part that you were in eating a grasshopper.

In all seriousness, do you still have the box of cereal?

Thanks,

Ryan Budnick
Assignment Editor / Field Producer
KWGN-TV
303-740-2855
rbudnick@cw2.com

I also called the US Consumer Product Safety Commission.

I really can't believe no one cares. Perhaps if my attorney called - you know - psychological pain and suffering!:)

Bugs are good for you, I cannot believe you are complaining, it could be rat **** instead, which is not nearly so nutritious.

Tell them the Oatmeal came from China

Sounds like it's time to invite a bunch of reporters and King Soopers
managers over for some breakfast (Oatmeal).

Seriously though, I would start bugging (sorry, I couldn't resist) the
Oatmeal company and their packager.

Good Luck

Bugs are good for you, I cannot believe you are complaining, it could be rat **** instead, which is not nearly so nutritious.


Bugs also have **** which is now mixed in the oatmeal.

Time to change stores and brands of oatmeal.

From Channel 2

Are you going to be around tomorrow? We are already filled for tonight's newscast. But I would like to send a photographer and maybe a reporter to take a look at this.

Ryan

Unfortunately, we will be gone tomorrow.

Put the oatmeal in the freezer for 24 hours. You are eating real food. Do fruit flys bother you? Guess what they were - larvae, in the tomatoes and bananas you ate last week.

Congratulations - you are eating wholesome food.

Edit: in case it isn't obvious, the freezer will kill all the larvae. You won't even notice them after cooking.

Call Andrew Zimmern (http://www.andrewzimmern.com/). He can give you some recipes.

Sounds like crunchy granola to me.

From your description, they are likely to be weevils. We get them in grains of various kinds here in Texas if you leave them in your cupboard for long enough. If you buy "bulk" items, you might get them sooner for some reason. I throw things out when I see them. I would think that they would be uncommon in grocery stores in Colorado. I don't recall seeing them at all when I lived in Michigan and Massachusetts. If you find them, I would suspect old goods. I hope you can get some redress. Or at least, new oatmeal.

-soma5

Get several boxes and put them in ziplock bags and have them ready for Monday to show to the media.

I don't care for the "pre-mixed. I prefer to buy my cereal in one container and my bugs in another container. That way I can mix my own blend.

Letters to the editor; radio talk shows; picket the store?

When I went to the Tour of Britain- I was served with a Manky Hot Dog. Complained but they would not change it or give me my money back so I stood there and told everyone that the Hotdogs were not good. Got a refund and a free Burger aswell.

Dnvr:
If you know for certain that the bugs are in the cereal (not in your house somewhere), go down to the store when you have ample time, buy some oatmeal, open it as soon as you have finished paying for it, show them the bugs, exchange for another, open it, show them the bugs, exchange . . . .

Be prepared to repeat the process until someone takes you seriously or until you've personally destroyed the defective inventory or found a container that is worthy of being taken home.

It's a shame that no one who could do something about this takes you seriously. I would not be quiet about it. I find suggestions that you just eat the bugs ridiculous. Depending on what bugs they are, they probably won't hurt you, but why should bad product remain on the shelves.

If you have truly found a bad batch of oatmeal, I wouldn't be at all quiet about it.

Caruso

18 posts to the thread so far. You have already started a media blitz against Krogers. Pretty soon the CNN staffer that scans BF will be knocking on his/her bosses door................

In the future, every time your shop in that store......if you do......walk down that aisle and say loudly to your wife......"Don't get the oatmeal honey, remember we got bugs in it last time".

This is proactive.....you are just conversing with the wife...not making a fus.....;)

I sent off a bunch of pics requested by a local TV station (Channel 2) this AM. Darn, that first box had about 10 times as many bugs as this box, and I gave the first box back to the store in exchange!

So far, not a call from the store or regional rep!

Here are some pics of the little critters. Yum!

http://members.aol.com/dnvrfox/krogerbug1.jpg

http://members.aol.com/dnvrfox/krogerbug2.jpg

http://members.aol.com/dnvrfox/krogerbug3.jpg

It looks like you've chosen the lesser of two weevils.

It looks like you've chosen the lesser of two weevils.

:roflmao::):roflmao:

Know thine enemy (http://www.ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/pdfs/weevilsgrain.pdf)

It's not uncommon to find these in grains, cereals and even cake mix. The eggs are too small to notice and the longer the product has been in the package, the more likely it is to have larval, pupae, and adult stages present.

When I went to the Tour of Britain- I was served with a Manky Hot Dog. Complained but they would not change it or give me my money back so I stood there and told everyone that the Hotdogs were not good. Got a refund and a free Burger aswell.

Manky? Ah! Manky (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=manky&defid=729188)! :p

I got an email from another TV station (KUSA - Channel 9) asking me to email them some pictures, and my permission to post the pics. I did that, but so far nothing posted!

Don't be alarmed. They are just grain beetles. The larvae is sometimes packaged in the box and when they reach the right conditions, they hatch.
Be thankful that they hatched or you would have, and probably have in the past, eaten the larvae.
You can get them in macaroni, flour, etc. If you want to avoid seeing them "after the fact" put all your grain products in clear glass jars so you can monitor them.
If they are crawling around your cabinets by now, just vacuum them thoroughly and throw out the bag.
How do I know this stuff....I've been an exterminator for 35 years.

Don't be alarmed. They are just grain beetles. The larvae is sometimes packaged in the box and when they reach the right conditions, they hatch.
Be thankful that they hatched or you would have, and probably have in the past, eaten the larvae.
You can get them in macaroni, flour, etc. If you want to avoid seeing them "after the fact" put all your grain products in clear glass jars so you can monitor them.
If they are crawling around your cabinets by now, just vacuum them thoroughly and throw out the bag.
How do I know this stuff....I've been an exterminator for 35 years.

The point is the store's reaction to the situation, not the bugs themselves. I was very calm when I first reported the bugs - I realize bugs can "happen." However, when they failed to clear out their buggy oatmeal - even after assuring me they would, and then told me to "mail them" a bug - that is where they went wrong, IMHO.

U-Tube?!

U-Tube?!

Better than that. My bugs made the evening news - Channel 2 in Denver. Story, bug pictures and all. My bugs were the lead-in story. :p

Better than that. My bugs made the evening news - Channel 2 in Denver. Story, bug pictures and all. My bugs were the lead-in story. :p
Did they mention the store name and/or the product brand name?

Better than that. My bugs made the evening news - Channel 2 in Denver. Story, bug pictures and all. My bugs were the lead-in story. :p
Has the national enquirer made you an offer on the pics yet?

Did they mention the store name and/or the product brand name?

Well, like all news organizations, they got it a bit screwed up, despite the written script I sent to them. But, yes, they did mention the store and location. However, they said "instant oatmeal" and it was the long-cooking 42 oz oatmeal box. But, hey, remember, these guys can't get everything right! But, they did not put the article on their web site. :(


Has the national enquirer made you an offer on the pics yet?

Someting like, "Naked Bugs Invade Cereal Box, Eaten By a Denver Fox?"

The point is the store's reaction to the situation, not the bugs themselves. I was very calm when I first reported the bugs - I realize bugs can "happen." However, when they failed to clear out their buggy oatmeal - even after assuring me they would, and then told me to "mail them" a bug - that is where they went wrong, IMHO.

I agree. Good customer service would have been so easy for this company.
An apology with an explaination about how these things occur would have made you happy, I'm sure.
A coupon for their product would have not broken the bank either.

Mmmm -- tastes just like chicken!

When I went to the Tour of Britain- I was served with a Manky Hot Dog. Complained but they would not change it or give me my money back so I stood there and told everyone that the Hotdogs were not good. Got a refund and a free Burger aswell.

Troublemaker!! If you had done that in the US you would have been arrested:)

Well, like all news organizations, they got it a bit screwed up, despite the written script I sent to them. But, yes, they did mention the store and location. However, they said "instant oatmeal" and it was the long-cooking 42 oz oatmeal box. But, hey, remember, these guys can't get everything right! But, they did not put the article on their web site. :(



Someting like, "Naked Bugs Invade Cereal Box, Eaten By a Denver Fox?"

I heard from a reporter friend that a story (could be yours) had hit the tabloid wire. It was something about "because of global warming scientists have discovered that the Fox population of Colorado has been avoiding human food as unfit for Fox consumption" True.........but it was canceled at the last minute and replaiced by a story about police being called on a report that Britney had been seen parking in a loading zone!

Letters to the editor; radio talk shows; picket the store?

Waste of time, bugs happen.

You defintitely have a case of weevils. FYI weevil eggs are in most of the cereal products we buy (I know disgusting!). But they usually do not hatch unless the product has been on the shelf for a long time and it got warm.

For me, I would not do business (no matter how convenient) with a store that 1) didn't rotate its product often enough to avoid the weevils hatching and 2) didn't bend over backwards to take care of your situation. At the least they should have checked the product with you and then given you a store coupon (not to be used on oatmeal!) far in excess of value of the oatmeal as a measure of good will.

I would take it back and stand there as the management check the shelf for other buggy products and then insist it all be removed so as not to cause other customers problems. Then I would give them a lesson in good store management etc but then, that's just me! :p

BTW - I got weevils once years ago - it freaked me out. To this day I keep all my grain products in the frig.

Glad you made the news Denvr. I too would be furious at being ignored this way - it shows a pretty poor attitude to their customers and the frustration at no-one taking it seriously would get under my skin too.

Maybe if you ate rubbish instead of healthy stuff you wouldn't have this problem :rolleyes:

Richard

I checked and all the store brand oatmeal has been removed. I did get a phone call "to let me know what they were doing."

I asked why the oatmeal wasn't removed immediately upon my first report. The guy said that is not corporate policy, they had to receive approval from corporate, and it was removed Saturday (the day after I reported it.)

I got a sort of letter of apology today, and a $10 gift ceretificate - which I can only use on Kroger store brand products - to "restore my confidence in Kroger products."

Waste of time, bugs happen.

The point of the post was NOT the bugs, it was ignoring the bugs once reported.

I checked and all the store brand oatmeal has been removed. I did get a phone call "to let me know what they were doing."

I asked why the oatmeal wasn't removed immediately upon my first report. The guy said that is not corporate policy, they had to receive approval from corporate, and it was removed Saturday (the day after I reported it.)

I got a sort of letter of apology today, and a $10 gift ceretificate - which I can only use on Kroger store brand products - to "restore my confidence in Kroger products."

They must have read my post. :D

Ten bucks eh? Buy some chocolate and have a self satisfied pig out :D

Richard

Oh, may we assume that your faith in Kroger has been renewed? Or is that fairy land thinking.

It looks like you've chosen the lesser of two weevils.
Ha...this is funny!

Waste of time, bugs happen.

At least you know it wasn't full of pesticides.

I've heard that if you buy sweetcorn at roadside markets and there are NO worms in the corn, then it is likely full of pesticides.

Which would you rather eat? I don't think weevils will give you cancer.

At least you know it wasn't full of pesticides.

I've heard that if you buy sweetcorn at roadside markets and there are NO worms in the corn, then it is likely full of pesticides.

Which would you rather eat? I don't think weevils will give you cancer.

Geez! I didn't know until this morning that I had to choose between weevils and cancer. Wow! Are there no other options? Actually, I don't buy sweet corn at a roadside market. Is that ok?

but it was canceled at the last minute and replaiced by a story about police being called on a report that Britney had been seen parking in a loading zone!

Or was that "Britney was getting loaded in a parking zone...?"

Geez! I didn't know until this morning that I had to choose between weevils and cancer. Wow! Are there no other options? Actually, I don't buy sweet corn at a roadside market. Is that ok?

I suppose you could have both.............if you ask............nicely.:rolleyes: