bugs in cereal or pasta???

amother

Tue, Sep 23 2014, 10:04 pm

Has anyone ever found tiny black dead bugs in either cereal or pasta?

Years ago when I was eating a sugary corn flake type of cereal I saw almost microscopic black dots. I studied a few with great difficulty and was able to see that it was indeed some sort of dead bug (maybe a tiny ant?) I noticed the same black dots in another cereal a few yrs later and again was able to make out a bug with a wing -- I'm talking really tiny that to the regular eye it would look like a black dot. I am bringing this up because tonight I poured some cereal for myself and saw these tiny black dots stuck on a few pieces of cereal. Bugs again?? Which type of cereal or company is bug free????

Pasta .... on more than one occasion after shutting the fire and letting the pasta sit to cool I have seen a bug sitting in the pot. This is so gross!!! I can't think of a better word for finding dead bugs in food!

Am I the only one????

which brands to people buy?

zaq

Tue, Sep 23 2014, 10:31 pm

No one can guarantee 100% bug free grain products. Ordinarily you don't find bugs in sealed packages, but we live in a natural world. Bugs are all over and guess what? They like the same stuff we do, and more. If the cereal has been stored too long, or in poor conditions, or if the packaging was either not properly sealed or was breached in some way, bugs can get into the package. It's also possible for eggs to have been laid in the product before it was sealed, and then, with long storage in a warm place, to hatch into bugs.

What can you do? Buy your grain products in stores that have rapid turnover of stock and buy the freshest you can; avoid buying packages that are dented or otherwise damaged; store in cool, dry locations, NEVER under a sink; don't store for excessive periods of time; check before using; store after opening in well-sealed containers of metal, rigid plastic or glass. Beyond that, it's the luck of the draw.

If you leave your cereal in the original box and just roll down the inner liner, the bugs could be getting in from elsewhere in your home. If you find bugs when you first open the package, write to the company to report it, giving them the code and date from the top or bottom of the box, and request a refund . At worst they'll give you an excuse; at best they may send you a couple of coupons for free boxes of cereal.

FranticFrummie

Tue, Sep 23 2014, 11:03 pm

We used to get those in California. They're called grain beetles. I once found one baked into a fortune cookie, and the package had a heksher on it!

The only thing to do is to take the package back to the store, and hope you have better luck next time.