Editor’s Note: This is a guest post from Matthew Jorgensen, a graduate researcher in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Utah
Courtesy of UCSF Research/ University of Minnesota Dept. of Environment Health and Safety
Background
A few months ago, I found mold in a newly-purchased package of Capri Sun. Surprised, I did a quick Google search and found that my experience was not unique.
Several people have complained through blogs, Twitter, Facebook, and this website about the problem. More recently, mold was found floating in sealed packages of Little Hugs drinks.
One case in particular, the large fleshy mold found in a Capri Sun by Melissa Brown over Memorial Day weekend 2010, has been the focus of discussion
online. Actually, the community response has been remarkable. Pictures of the mold spread like spores all over the Internet. Facebook groups rallying for action quickly formed, asking Kraft for an explanation or a recall.
Kraft issued an initial response to the increasingly loud complaints about their product on Kraft’s Facebook page:
We recently received word from a consumer about an issue with a Capri Sun pouch. We understand that some of you are concerned. Now that we’ve tested the material, we’ve confirmed it was mold. While unpleasant, it is not a safety issue. If this had been a safety issue, Kraft Foods certainly would have taken the necessary steps, including issuing a recall.
As a general food safety tip, please remember that because Capri Sun beverages don’t have preservatives, a leaky pouch can cause the beverage to spoil and discarding it is the right action to take.
Kraft has also said through several different releases:
Since there are no preservatives in our drinks, mold can grow, especially in a leaking pouch. It doesn’t happen very often. But since it can happen, we’ve placed a statement on the carton recommending leaky pouches be discarded.
How Big is the Problem?
My position is that not only is the mold problem bigger than Kraft is willing to admit, but it is also more dangerous. The truth regarding the matter is revealed through good old-fashioned common sense and scientific inquiry. I will address individually both of Kraft’s key remarks that the problem is rare and it’s not a safety issue. (see Capri Sun: How Big is the Mold Problem?)
First, what does it mean that six people have contacted Consumerbell with complaints regarding moldy Capri Sun since May? Consumerbell is a relatively new company. The people who found mold in their Capri Sun, as I did, had to search for a venue to voice their concern.
See a recent NBC special on moldy juice in Capri Suns and ConsumerBell’s findings:
Courtesy of NBC Bay Area
1) How many more must have found mold, wanted to talk about it, but didn’t know where to go? And
2) How many more than that quietly complained to Kraft about their find?
3) Finally, how many found or consumed moldy Capri Sun, and never did anything about it?
I recognize that I am a particularly vocal and motivated person when it comes to consumer safety. The real question is just how many consumers are out there who have been quite about their experience?
I haven’t conducted a national survey on the matter, and I don’t know what Kraft’s logbook of complaints looks like, but I am wagering that this problem is bigger than any multi-national food corporation would ever admit.
Second, the issue of safety. Kraft has said the mold is unpleasant but “not a safety issue.” After more lab tests they issued a statement on their facebook page:
What would happen if someone drank something with Paecilomyces variotii in it?
The experts tell us there are no significant or long-term health effects associated with consuming this mold. While some people may feel sick to their stomach or even throw up as they might with almost any spoiled food, this is temporary. As always, if you have concerns about any health condition, you should consult with your medical professional.
This statement, more than anything else released by Kraft, reads exactly opposite of what Kraft intended.
What Happens When Bad Mold is Consumed?
Consuming this moldy product may make you feel sick to your stomach or throw up just as you might with any spoiled food. The problem with Kraft’s statement is getting sick is something that is completely relative. The seriousness of an illness depends heavily on your current health. People at risk for serious consequences of getting sick are the same people encouraged to get flu shots: the elderly, pregnant women and children.
Sure, the flu consists of primarily fever, aches, and vomiting and the effects are temporary… but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t serious. Neither is getting sick from eating spoiled food.
The USDA has a webpage dedicated to the question of moldy food(1), which they say:
Are Some Molds Dangerous?
Yes, some molds cause allergic reactions and respiratory problems. And a few molds, in the right conditions, produce “mycotoxins,” poisonous substances that can make you sickWhat Are Mycotoxins?
Mycotoxins are poisonous substances produced by certain molds found primarily in grain and nut crops, but are also known to be on celery, grape juice, apples, and other produce. There are many of them and scientists are continually discovering new ones. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations estimates that 25% of the world’s food crops are affected by mycotoxins, of which the most notorious are aflatoxins.
The mold found in Melissa’s Capri Sun was found to be paecilomyces variotii (2), a fast-growing heat-resistant fungus able to grow in low oxygen levels and in the presence of preservatives (3).
Paecilomyces variotii is also known to produce the mycotoxins patulin and viriditoxin (4).
In one experiment using mold collected off Iberian ham, paecilomyces variotii metabolites (what the mold produces as it grows) were shown to be toxic in what is called the “brine shrimp test.”(5)
Patulin is considered to be a major food contaminant, especially in fruit juices. It was found in the 1960s “patulin was toxic to both plants and animals” and since has been found contaminating apple juices in several countries. (6)
Viriditoxin is one of the principle poisons in rattlesnake venom (7) and has been found to be more toxic in rats than sodium cyanide (8) (the LD50 for sodium cyanide is 6.3 mg/kg while LD50 for viriditoxin is 2.8 mg/kg). Sodium cyanide combined with hydrochloric acid is what was used in gas chambers to execute people.
Less is known about the mold found in Little Hugs juice. Consumerbell’s initial testing by an independent lab found that it belongs to the genus Paecilomyces sp., which is known to also produce the mycotoxin patulin. However, until the species of fungus is known along with the concentration of any mycotoxins, the potential risk remains hidden.
Are moldy juice drinks dangerous? Without knowing if the molds are producing these toxins, and how much they are producing, we just don’t know. It is possible the particular strain of mold doesn’t produce these mycotoxins under the conditions the drinks were in or that the concentration of toxins is too low to be considered dangerous. But, the possibility of serious danger is there, which warrants further questioning, and answers.
- USDA Website, “Mold on Food: Are They Dangerous?” http://www.fsis.usda.gov/factsheets/molds_on_food/index.asp, accessed 1/13/2010.
- “Identification of Mold Isolated From a Consumer Complaint Sample,” Silliker Food Science Center Report. June 25, 2005. See images of the report here: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/My-Capri-Sun-Story-The-truth-Myths-dispelled/109004385813565
- Houbraken, J.; Varga, J.; Rico-Munoz, E.; Johnson, S.; Samson, R. A., Sexual Reproduction as the Cause of Heat Resistance in the Food Spoilage Fungus Byssochlamys spectabilis (Anamorph Paecilomyces variotii). Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 2008, 74 (5), 1613-1619.
- Fischer, G.; Müller, T.; Schwalbe, R.; Ostrowski, R.; Dott, W., Species-specific profiles of mycotoxins produced in cultures and associated with conidia of airborne fungi derived from biowaste. International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health 2000, 203 (2), 105-116.
- Núñez, F.; Rodríguez, M. M.; Bermúdez, M. E.; Córdoba, J. J.; Asensio, M. A., Composition and toxigenic potential of the mould population on dry-cured Iberian ham. International Journal of Food Microbiology 1996, 32 (1-2), 185-197.
- Iwahashi, Y.; Hosoda, H.; Park, J.-H.; Lee, J.-H.; Suzuki, Y.; Kitagawa, E.; Murata, S. M.; Jwa, N.-S.; Gu, M.-B.; Iwahashi, H., Mechanisms of Patulin Toxicity under Conditions That Inhibit Yeast Growth. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 2006, 54 (5), 1936-1942.
- Fabiano, R. J.; Tu, A. T., Purification and biochemical study of viriditoxin, tissue damaging toxin, from prairie rattlesnake venom. Biochemistry 1981, 20 (1), 21-27.
- Lillehoj, E.; Ciegler, A., A toxic substance from Aspergillus viridi-nutans. Canadian Journal of Microbiology 1972, 18 (2), 193-197.
- MSDS sodium cyanide, http://msds.chem.ox.ac.uk/SO/sodium_cyanide.html, accessed 1/13/2011.
Matthew Jorgensen is a graduate researcher in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Utah. For more of his writings click here.
