Call the manufacturer – if it’s commercially produced, there’s usually a number on the jar somewhere. I’ve done that when I bought cereal that had a badly sealed bag inside and got sent coupons worth more than the cost of the item for taking the trouble to report it.
Just opened a new jar of jam, only to find mold in it.
Submitted 2 weeks ago by irelephant@lemmy.dbzer0.com to mildlyinfuriating@lemmy.world
https://lemmy.dbzer0.com/pictrs/image/ec21a2b3-4ddf-436e-b459-10e5197f0c7b.webp
Comments
e0qdk@reddthat.com 2 weeks ago
Fermion@mander.xyz 2 weeks ago
Normally I wouldn’t bother on something that is pretty cheap, but if one failed to seal, they really need to sample the batch and see if a recall is necessary. Botulism is no joke.
irelephant@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 weeks ago
It was properly sealed, the little button was down, and it made a pop sound when I opened it.
pigup@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Thank the mold for saving your life, could have had botulism too
bobzer@lemmy.zip 2 weeks ago
A proper jam recipe is generally too acidic for botulism.
pdqcp@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 weeks ago
I got one of those once, I contacted the grocery and manufacturer with the receipt. Grocery store promptly replaced it, while the manufacturer sent me a box full of random goodies and an apology letter
SpacePanda@mander.xyz 2 weeks ago
My grandfather complained to a company about broken pretzels in his pretzel bag and they sent him a case of pretzels and not one was broken.
Okokimup@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Some stores will even double your money back.
fubarx@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
I was told by a food research lab you could scoop off the top layer (oxygenated) and consume the rest of jams and sauces.
I’m not sure I believe them. They were growing large quantities of insects in a smelly, dank room for protein.
TigerAce@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 weeks ago
This is true, but I wouldn’t do it when the jam is very liquid. And if your jam starts to mold fast, it means it doesn’t contain extra chemicals to keep it good as well as much less sugar. So it’s better if it molds faster. Just keep it in the fridge and eat it fast. Many store bought factory jams can stay good for over a year after being opened. Imagine what it takes to keep it from molding.
ParadoxSeahorse@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
No chemicals are necessary, home made jam can last for ages too. More sugar is better, for the jam, as a preservative. Not for oneself but like just eat less jam
synapse1278@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
I’ve done this with jam without issues for may years, my parents taught me. It’s fine.
Krudler@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
No. Look I don’t care how many other commenters are agreeing with you, it’s wrong. The tendrils go deep and just because you can’t see them doesn’t mean they’re not there and not a toxic surprise waiting for you.
jordanlund@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
I bought chicken salad, ate some, and realized that there was no chicken in it and returned it.
“Your chicken salad is just ‘salad’.”
They apologized and refunded it.
Rai@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 weeks ago
My partner got a chicken salad from a local co-op we love, but into a chicken piece, and it was pink and shiny on the inside. They brought it back and showed a clerk who was MORTIFIED. My partner wasn’t mad or anything, just a little worried about getting sick (which didn’t happen, thankfully!) and the co-op immediately took all of their chicken salad packs and threw them away. We didn’t even ask for a refund but we got a refund anyway.
Glytch@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Sounds like they know how to keep customers. Seeing that would make me trust them a lot more
moakley@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
moldly infuriating
shalafi@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Scoop it out and go on with your day. I’d only toss it if it tastes or smells funky, even just a bit. Just tossed a jar of salsa after skimming spots of mold off the top for months, exactly as yours. Not because it was unsafe to eat, it just sucked as salsa and I felt it was getting more and more untrustworthy. Jam is going to be somewhat like honey, too much sugar for anything too bad to get a deep hold.
Anyway, none y’all are going to survive another worldwide depression. “Er mer gerd! THROW IT!” Your grandparents and great-grandparents are laughing at you. I’ll be in the woods out back, eating live minnows and fighting the deer over acorns.
vapeloki@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
I’ll add on that with some more info:
Milt does not really like sugar. Not as a medium to grow in. So, anything high sugar you can, in fact just scoop it out. But, be aware, the mycelium of molt is toxic. So, anything where molt can grow through, like bread or a European Salsa (we don’t have that much sugar in them) throw it out . And if it grows back: THROW IT OUT.
shalafi@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
I’m learning! Define “milt”. New one on me.
Strider@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
This is the most sane answer, why does it have 50% downvotes??
shalafi@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
People can’t figure risk any longer. It’s a big world! We can’t fault anyone for not understanding it.
DeadPixel@lemmy.zip 2 weeks ago
I grew up with home made jam from my Nan when she was still here, & then my mum. Mould on the top of a jar of jam that had already been open a while was fairly common back then. You’d just scoop it off & go about your day.
However this is shop bought jam, & as long as it was recently purchased, or even if it was sealed & within date but not recently purchased I’d still complain to the shop or manufacturer, as I’d expect better from commercially made produce.
shalafi@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Yes! I might complain and return it, but it’s not the death hazard these comments make it out to be. :)
GreenKnight23@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
depending on the gelatin used that could make you go blind, lose your hearing, and then kill you.
shalafi@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
I could step out to check my mailbox and get smeared by an inattentive driver. In all seriousness, I’m more afraid of slipping in my shower and breaking my neck. Instant death or living out my life having a nurse dig shit out of my ass? (My niece did that for a living.) Not too worried about a little mold in my jam.
Some y’all’s “risk vs. reward” mechanisms are utterly broken. Can’t blame ya! We didn’t evolve to calculate risk in the modern world.
tl;dr: Take risks. Life is not worth living in fear, not worth calculating infinitesimal odds.
MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip 2 weeks ago
That’s what you get with berries concentrate and sugar. But not with self-made jam.
caradenada@feddit.cl 2 weeks ago
Not true. My mom’s jam get moldy all the time. Maybe not all jams are acidic enough.
Imhotep@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
My moms jams do get moldy though.
MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip 2 weeks ago
What jam is it? My dad is a farmer and mom makes all kinds of jam, never saw mold there the last 30 years.
Dozzi92@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
The lice hate the powdered sugar.
Enzyoo@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 weeks ago
Extra protein.
voodooattack@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Extra protein.
That’s disgusting.
You should always scrape the visible part off, and keep going until there are no more visible spots. Try not to skim too much of course.
You’ll still get all the extra protein from the mycelia but without the green fruiting bodies. 🤮
frank_exchange_of_views@sh.itjust.works 2 weeks ago
Unless it’s really old, just return it.
irelephant@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 weeks ago
I just got it yesterday, so I’ll try.
capuccino@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
any sign that was opened before?
ozymandias@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 weeks ago
well there’s the mold
Rhaedas@fedia.io 2 weeks ago
Might have had one of those pop up buttons to show the seal is broken. Ideally a stocker would see it, or the customer when selecting it, but I wonder how many people look that closely.
capuccino@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
I do, also every person I know. It always pop loudly when you open it.
irelephant@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 weeks ago
The pop up button was down when I opened it.
irelephant@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 weeks ago
No. The little button thing was down.
capuccino@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
sad
Kyle_The_G@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
If its in date you should probably report it to health and safety.
irelephant@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 weeks ago
It was bought yesterday, and the jar was fully sealed.
Kyle_The_G@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
ya I’d definitely report it to your local health authority. I’m not sure how it works at all but as I mentioned in another comment they can ID what it is and follow up (eg is this a one-off or is there a whole batch that is contaminated?).
Proprietary_Blend@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Do you happen to have the forms required?
Kyle_The_G@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
no but they can ID what it is, investigate the root cause and monitor this sort of thing.
iAmTheTot@sh.itjust.works 2 weeks ago
Did you test the button on the lid before opening? I’d wager it was not properly sealed.
irelephant@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 weeks ago
It was properly sealed. The button was down, and it made the satisfying pop when I opened it.
Hypocrite9554@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Yesterday’s jam!
Imhotep@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Comments saying contact the manufacturer, the state health services…
Or chill, remove the mold, smell, taste, if everything seems good eat it. Inform the store.I’ve googled it just to be sure, and it’s safe.
rollerbang@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Actually this can be risky. Mold might be cut from hard foods because it usually doesn’t penetrate too deep, if not too overgrown. Soft foods tend to have “tendrils” all over that are often not visible to the naked eye.
Buddahriffic@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Though how risky is it in reality? Eg for bread, if visible mold means there’s also invisible mold, wouldn’t that imply that there’s a period with just invisible mold that goes unnoticed and eaten? We’re constantly inhaling and consuming mold spores anyways, so is this more of a “I know it’s there and thus deem it icky” or “if it’s soft and has mold, toss it all, and hope that you don’t get unlucky and eat mold you couldn’t see in the first place”?
adry@piefed.social 2 weeks ago
I always assumed that the toxicity is in the spores, so I second this…
Prime@lemmy.sdf.org 2 weeks ago
If unopened before this is a sterilisation issue. If opened before, it may be because of dew water from chilling
KeenFlame@feddit.nu 2 weeks ago
I- it’s not new then. It’s old jam. You opened a jar of old jam
irelephant@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 weeks ago
The jar was sealed properly.
Kolanaki@pawb.social 2 weeks ago
Freshly opened old jar of jam.
KeenFlame@feddit.nu 2 weeks ago
Yes, they sealed old jam
NewNewAugustEast@lemmy.zip 2 weeks ago
What brand?
irelephant@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 weeks ago
This is the exact one: follain.ie/…/nothing-but-fruit-strawberry-jam/
Doomsider@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Probably was sealed in a hot water bath instead of using a pressure cooker.
WarmSoda@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Old food do be like that
Lemminary@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Your what has mold in it?
Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works 2 weeks ago
With that untouched surface, you might be able to get a replacement if you still have the receipt. Depends on the store and if you’re polite about it. (You could probably do it by being rude, but I’d hate you.)
Psythik@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
You could probably get a replacement even if the jar is completely empty. I used to work customer service in a grocery store. One time a guy returned an empty wine bottle. I gave him a full refund. Why? Because they steal from their employees every single day. I’m just evening the plating field a bit.
papalonian@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Yup yup yup. Former service employee. You yell in my face and complain to my boss, I’ll give you the bare minimum of what you’ll consider as “what you want” for you to shut the hell up. Come up and level with me, treat me like a person that you are asking for help, I’m gonna do literally everything I can to get you what you’re asking for and more.
PhobosAnomaly@feddit.uk 2 weeks ago
I went to Tesco (a large (perhaps too large ((brackets)) grocery retailer in the UK) a while back with some raspberries that hadn’t even lasted until I got home before going mouldy.
Literally, all I wanted to do was show the customer service desk lass the issue, show them my receipt, get a replacement, and fuck off to make the interaction as easy as possible for them.
An honest appraisal of what the problem was; some witty banter; and a general understanding of the “don’t be a dickhead” principle to frontline staff meant that she kept hold of me for ten minutes, noted down details and times and whatnot, and it ended up with a £10 apology gift card in the post - which in turn purchased a rather nice bottle of wine.
Where I’m going with this: I cannot fathom how people cannot be polite about issues like this. I’ve never understood how being a wanker to someone whose job it is to sort issues out somehow nets you a better end result. Perhaps the best advice I’m going to give my kids is to spend six months or a year of their teenage starts to their careers in an inbound call centre in a field they’re interested in - yes the job can grind you down and yes the pay sucks, but the basic life skills and soft people skills it teaches you is fucking invaluable.
tl;dr: solid advice, ask nicely, don’t be a twat, and you’ll probably end up with a net result better than you started.
billwashere@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
“Ask nicely and don’t be a twat” sounds like an awesome t-shirt.
ArbitraryValue@sh.itjust.works 2 weeks ago
I saw a guy yell at an airport employee who kept telling him that she couldn’t legally let him on the plane because the cabin door was already shut. He kept at it until a supervisor showed up, contacted the pilot, and let him in. I get where the guy was coming from (he loudly proclaimed that he was missing a connecting flight through no fault of his own) but it was still weird to see him get something by being angry which he probably couldn’t have gotten by being nice.
Cevilia@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 weeks ago
Just adding that I’m a current large supermarket employee, and customers who treat us like human beings are so incredibly rare that, when I come across one, I will go up against the gods themselves to get you what you want.
dreadbeef@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 weeks ago
And this is why i do my best to be the least imposing on workers at stores
arin@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Damn, average person is pretty shit.
melroy@kbin.melroy.org 2 weeks ago
Yeah 100%