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.

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 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. 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!

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

Know thine enemy

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.

Manky? Ah! Manky!

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!