COLUMBUS, Ind. (WTHR) – An Indiana father is warning parents on social media to take a closer look at their child's juice pouches before handing them over.
Cameron Hardwick posted photos and a video on Facebook, demonstrating what was found inside a Capri Sun juice pouch that he was about to give to his child.
In the post, Harwick shows the mold-like substance floating in the juice.
He says when he grabbed the juice pouch from the fridge, he noticed something odd.
"It seems low in content, I take a closer look at the packaging and don't notice a hole or anything," wrote Hardwick. "So I shake it up some, only to find an unknown substance floating around in the package."
After learning about Hardwick's video, the Kraft Heinz company reached out to have his product tested.
According to NBC 4, Lynne Galia, a spokeswoman for the company, said the company's quality team tested the Capri Sun purchased by the Hardwick family and confirmed the mold was caused by a puncture.
Galia says the company introduced new packaging in 2014 that is clear on the bottom, so parents can check each Capri Sun for freshness.
On Capri Sun's website, the company acknowledges reports of mold in Capri Sun pouches.
"It’s a common, naturally occurring food mold. Although it's rare, it is possible for food mold to grow inside containers of preservative-free juice drinks if the pouch is compromised or punctured in any way on its journey from our facilities to your grocery stores."
"We care deeply about this issue and about the well-being of our moms, dads and kids. That's why we have invested millions of dollars in our packaging, quality and manufacturing processes to make our pouches even stronger and more resistant to air leaks. We recommend that parents gently squeeze each pouch to check for leaks before serving Capri Sun to their kids. Any leaky or punctured pouches should be discarded."
Hardwick shared an update on Facebook Monday:
"Kraft reached out to me the second day everything was posted. A third party company came to the house to pick up the ‘sample’ & package the following day, then sent it to the lab for testing.. they came back with the results a few days later and said there was a "micro-puncture" in the package allowing oxygen to enter the pouch and create the mold seen in the video/pictures."
Hardwick's post has been shared more than 84,000 times.