What to Do When You Find Gunk in Your Food

A couple went viral on TikTok after sharing an unsavory experience they had with a can of strawberry-vanilla Olipop soda. 

In the video, which racked up more than 176,000 likes, Laine Bullinger says that her boyfriend Garrett was drinking the soda before realizing that it tasted off. Bullinger decided to pour some of the soda into a glass when she noticed that it contained black fragments. So, Garrett cut the can in half and discovered that the inside was coated in something black, as Bullinger looked on in horror. 

In a follow-up video, Bullinger and Garrett shared that they had been in contact with a representative from Olipop, who offered to send them more soda for free. (They declined.) The company also asked the couple to send them the can for testing, but Bullinger says they’ve decided to get the can independently tested to see what could be inside. 

A representative for Olipop said in a statement to Food & Wine that the company is “committed to maintaining the highest quality standards for our products,” adding that, “at this time, we have found no issues from the batch with the lot code provided by the customer.” 

“Based on our review, there is no evidence this issue occurred in the Olipop production facility,” the statement continued. “But, we take customer safety and any quality concerns very seriously and will continue to investigate this further.”

The couple’s situation has raised a lot of questions about what to do if you happen to find something gross in your food. Here, experts break it down. 

First, don’t panic.

That’s easier said than done if you find black gunk, pests, or anything else gross in your food, but there are actionable steps you can take. 

“The most important step is to stop or avoid consumption,” says Francisco Diez-Gonzalez, Ph.D., director and professor at the University of Georgia Center for Food Safety. “Then, return it to the store where you bought it.” He recommends recording the lot number and expiration date of the food, along with a copy of the receipt. (You can take a photo of it.) 

Wade Syers, an extension specialist for food safety at Michigan State University Extension, says it's also a good idea to contact the manufacturer. But if you’re worried about food safety and you’re dealing with something like meat or eggs, Syers says it may be worthwhile to contact the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). 

“If the problem is with restaurant food, you should contact your local health department,” Syers says. Last year, popular New York City restaurant Gammeook was shut down after a couple claimed in a lawsuit that they found a dead rat in their takeout soup. However, the restaurant was only shut down after food safety inspectors found rat droppings, food that wasn’t held at the correct temperature, and no trained supervisor on site, per the New York Post. 

When to consider calling a doctor.

If you develop “noticeable symptoms” after eating food with gunk in it, Diez-Gonzalez recommends contacting a doctor. “Depending on the problem with the product, a variety of symptoms can develop after consumption,” he says. “Food allergies are one of the defects that lead to symptoms to happen relatively quickly. With other types of problems such as foodborne pathogens, the symptoms can happen between a few hours to several days.”

Know this: If you become sick after having a certain food and see a doctor about it, the doctor should report the issue to the local health department, says Debora Miller, dean of culinary arts at Keiser University Tallahassee. “The health department most likely won’t consider a singular incident unless there are others who have also become sick,” she says. “Then, they will look into it and more than likely contact you.”

What are your rights for a refund or compensation?

This gets a little tricky. “Most retailers will offer a refund,” says food safety expert Ellen Shumaker, Ph.D., director of outreach for the Safe Plates program at North Carolina State University. “A food that has made you sick or harmed you in some way could make you eligible for compensation.” As for legal rights, Shumaker says that “a person would need to consult with an attorney as to how to move forward with filing a claim — it will require demonstrating that the food is what caused illness or harm.” 

But it can often be tough to prove liability with food issues, and there is a slew of points where gunk could get into food or form in it. That could include everything from a bug crawling into your cereal box once it’s open to a can getting a tiny puncture that’s virtually undetectable to the consumer but allows mold to grow. There are also some people out there who will falsely claim that something bad is in their food.

Syers points out that the situation is different with recalls. “During a recall, you are usually asked to return the product, and you will receive a refund,” he says. In the case of severe illness during a recall, some people may come together to form a class action lawsuit, but again, that typically involves contacting a lawyer and taking things from there. 

Ultimately, it’s best to contact the company that made your food if you notice something off with it, food safety experts say. But if you’re worried about the potential of the product causing safety issues for someone else, Syers recommends contacting your local health department or the USDA.