Kelloggs - please package your Pop Tarts better

[draggar]

I'm actually thinking of writing a letter on this - not in an SC way, I'm not going to threaten to sue or demand huge cash settlements.

I have a small stash of pop tarts in my office. Nothing huge but I buy them when they're bogo at Publix and usually last me a month (4ish boxes).

Once in a while one package will be infested with ants. I've conceded to the fact that once in a while this will happen. Well, today tipped me over.

I open up one package of smores pop tarts, it's infested. Oh well. I open up the second package of smores, infested. Then, I open up a blueberry one and yes, it's also infested.

Luckily, the one that isn't wrapped in foil (from a box I got at Sams) of strawberry wasn't infested.

3 foil wrapped pop tarts in a row were all infested. While they were bought at the same time, I don't think that three in a row should have been infested like this (and these were the last 4 our of the last batch I bought before this week).

[draftermatt]

I'd call Kellogs and tell them.

I had a jar of Tostito's "Salsa con Queso" that went all moldy a good 6 months before the expiration date, so I called FritoLay and told them, they sent me some coupons to replace that jar, and were going to talk to the local distributor to find out if there was an issue.

[Caveat Emptor]

I've bought boxes of pop tarts recently with no bugs. Were there any tiny holes in the box? If so, it sounds like the store's distributor has a problem. Not only contact Kelloggs but also notify the store so they can complain to that distributor. If there are no holes, the Kellogg plant may have a problem on their production floor somwhere between baking (which should kill any flour mites) and packaging.

[draggar]

These boxes were open (I opened them)- I bought them about a month ago and will usually have one for breakfast. The infestation were from two different falvors.

[draggar]

Here's the letter I'm writing to them:

I am writing this because I am seriously concerned about the packaging of Pop Tarts. This is concerning the foiled packaging (purchased though most merchants – grocery stores, Target etc...), not the wax-plastic (purchased at wholesale clubs etc.).

I've noticed that if they sit around more than a couple of days that many of the packages will be infested with sugar ants (the ants are on the inside of the packaging). The UPC is from a package of smores flavored pop tarts (where one package had many ants inside it) but it seems to be the worst with the strawberry and blueberry flavors. I had to throw out an entire box of strawberry pop tarts just the other day because every package in it was infested with ants. It seems to be at least 1/4 (many times 1/2) of the packages get this infestation.

I like to purchase different flavors and I have noticed this issue for a while now, having gone though different flavors (frosted strawberry, frosted blueberry, smores, cookies and cream, and chocolate banana split) several different boxes purchased at different Publix locations (Ramblewood Plaza in Coral Springs, Palm Aire Plaza, Boynton Beach and other locations between Broward and Palm Beach counties, Florida) over the past 3-4 months so I do not believe this is a "bad batch" issue but more along the line of poor packaging. The foil seems to be extremely thin allowing it t be damaged, even slightly, during shipping allowing ants an easy route to the food.

Honestly, I'm debating if I should even continue purchasing Pop Tarts if I am going to continually need to throw away at least 1/4 of the product every time, no matter what flavor I purchase. I do enjoy having Pop Tarts for breakfast most mornings (they’re easy, good either cold or hot, and a convenient “finger” breakfast food) but I do not think I can put up with the ant issue anymore.

[Ree]

If one box in your house is infested, there is a very strong chance that it will spread to other packages, so it's a possibility that only one particular flavour from one particular source has the problem, but because they are stored near the rest, the ants spread.

As someone mentioned, contact the stores where you purchase them as well.

[draggar]

This is at work and I only keep packaged food here - nothing else has ants in it, only the pop tarts do. If it is one flavor with the issue - I would guess the strawberry since that one is the most often infested (out of the last 8 packets, I only got to eat one - I had to throw out an entire box the other day).

Also - this is across many stores so I do not think it is an issue at a store level, but could be at a distribution plant / warehouse issue. I may write Publix HQ about this, too, since it involves many stores (I don't know how / where their distribution warehouses are and work so it could be different places or not).

If I buy another box I'm going to put each one in a separate zip-loc bag and see if they are infested at the store level or get infested where I work. We do have a small ant issue in our office and I know when the rainy season starts it will get worse (I need to buy some traps and borax before that happens).

[Evil Queen]

The ants must be coming in with the poptarts.

There have been several reports of infestations in food of late (No, I'm not going to tell you what they are, it would put you off food for a while). Best to contact the stores and company and let them know about the problem.

[Jack T. Chance]

I would do everything possible to rule out the ants being IN the boxes before writing to Kellog's. Sounds to me like the workplace has an infestation. If your company was acting responsibly in regards to pests, they'd contract with Terminix or a similar company to help control infestations of pests.

One thing you should try is buying some ant bait discs and putting them out in workplace areas where the ants have been seen. The idea is that the ants will take the bait back to the colony to feed everyone, the poison will do its work over the course of a month or 2, and you'll wipe out the whole colony!

And before any nutjobs chime in about saving the little 6-legged freaks, remember that they outnumber us millions or even BILLIONS to one! Don't worry, Mother Nature WILL make more!

[friendofjimmyk]

I open up one package of smores pop tarts, it's infested. Oh well. I open up the second package of smores, infested. Then, I open up a blueberry one and yes, it's also infested.

Luckily, the one that isn't wrapped in foil (from a box I got at Sams) of strawberry wasn't infested.

Okay. I'm quite confused. You state you open the package and its infested. Are you opening the FOIL package or the BOX and finding the infestation? And...the infestation....have you already opened the BOX and then later open the FOIL and find the ants? I mean, not that it makes a difference...an infestation is an infestation...but it could not be happening at the factory and, maybe, be happening at your place of work.

If you are opening the box and then later opening another foil package and finding the ants...maybe they got in after opening the box. But, if you are opening the box, then the foil and finding the infestation...that's interesting. It could be the factory, or since sugar ants are so tiny...it could be they are getting into the boxes from your place of work and then getting into the thin foil.

I would stick to the foil-less packages....the ones where they are the knockoffs and packaged in thicker paper.

Either way - EEEEEWWWWWWW!!!

Here at work, we have a problem with mice. You can't leave any food in shoddy packaging.

[Shpepper]

What about storing your Pop Tarts in a Tupperware or Rubbermaid storage container? One of the reusable ones and not the disposable ones. It might be that the ants are actually chewing through the foil to get to what's inside and if they can't smell it anymore, they will leave them alone.

[dalesys]

I'd be tempted to eat them just to blow my coworkers minds...

Look! Kelloggs is testmarketing improved PopTarts with All-Natural Organic Free-Range Extra-Fresh No-Preservative Protein Sprinkles.

But I already fried my buddies by chugging 1/2 cup of molasses out of the jug.

[sexiphatchick]

That's just disgusting.

I have never ever seen a package of pop tarts that were infested with anything. Then again, I very rarely eat pop tarts, so that's probably why.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

What about storing your Pop Tarts in a Tupperware or Rubbermaid storage container? One of the reusable ones and not the disposable ones. It might be that the ants are actually chewing through the foil to get to what's inside and if they can't smell it anymore, they will leave them alone.

That's what we had to do with our bags of birdseed during the Great Mouse Infestation of 2005-06. They all went inside big, clear Sterilite totes.

Nowadays I don't think we use them for that purpose anymore. The bags of birdseed go right on the shelf again.

[Aethian]

I get a poptart every morning on break and have never had this problem...I wonder if it's something to do with your area?