Prebiotic sodas are known for their added fiber, which is believed to support gut health and aid digestion. However, an Iowa-based TikTok creator recently shared a troubling experience with a can of Olipop that contained an unexpected and unwelcome surprise.
On July 1, Laine Bullinger posted a video on TikTok detailing her unsettling discovery with a can of strawberry-vanilla Olipop. The video, which has garnered over 2.5 million views, shows Bullinger explaining that her boyfriend, Garrett, found the soda tasted “gross.” When Bullinger poured the remaining soda into a glass, she noticed blackish chunks in the liquid. The can itself seemed to contain more of the same substance. Garrett then cut the can open, revealing that the inside was coated with a dark, skin-like substance, which Bullinger described as resembling mold.
Bullinger told SELF, “It kind of looked like it had a skin on one side, but it was black, kind of like mold. We’re not sure definitely what it is yet.”
Upon being contacted by SELF, an Olipop spokesperson confirmed they were aware of the video and had reached out to Bullinger. “Our quality control team will be looking into the details, including production codes and other identifiers, from the customer to understand and address any issue,” the spokesperson said on July 3. “We take customer safety and any quality concerns very seriously, and we will take any actions necessary.”
Bullinger mentioned that Olipop had direct messaged her on TikTok to discuss the situation. In subsequent emails, a company representative apologized, offered to send more Olipop, and asked if they wanted a refund. They also requested that Bullinger and Garrett send back the can and the substance inside for testing, which the company would cover. According to Bullinger, the testing to identify the substance might take a couple of weeks.
In a statement to SELF on July 10, the Olipop spokesperson reiterated the company’s commitment to thorough testing and investigation to determine the root cause of the issue.
To understand what might have caused such a contamination, SELF consulted food safety experts. Kristen Gibson, PhD, a professor in the department of food science and the director of the Center for Food Safety at the University of Arkansas, explained that mold can indeed develop in canned goods. This can result from failures at various stages of the production process, such as underprocessing, poor ingredient quality, inadequate cleaning and sanitation, or improper storage.
Darin Detwiler, PhD, a food safety expert and associate teaching professor at Northeastern University’s College of Professional Studies, added that improper storage, like leaving cans in a hot car or garage, could also affect the contents. However, Bullinger noted in the comments section of her TikTok video that they kept their cans refrigerated.
Dr. Gibson explained that any of these issues could enable fungi to grow within the can, possibly forming a dark “skin” or “mold mat.” The Olipop spokesperson mentioned that their quality assurance team had looked into these potential issues during the preliminary investigation and found no problems with the batch from the lot code provided. They confirmed that all cans from that lot were correctly sealed, equipment properly sanitized, and final products properly stored. “At this time, there is no evidence this issue occurred in the Olipop production facility,” the spokesperson said. “But we take customer safety and any quality concerns very seriously and will continue to investigate this matter.”
While the thought of consuming mold is unpleasant, Dr. Gibson noted that it is typically not life-threatening for most people, though it can be “gross.” However, mold can make its environment more hospitable to other microorganisms, like bacteria, by increasing the overall pH. Some of these microorganisms, such as Clostridium botulinum, can pose health risks if ingested.
Ingesting certain types of mold could also cause respiratory issues or trigger allergic reactions, including severe ones like anaphylaxis. There is also the risk of exposure to mycotoxins, toxic compounds that can cause gastrointestinal distress or neurological problems, Dr. Detwiler explained.
Higher-risk groups, such as young children, elderly adults, pregnant people, and immunocompromised individuals, could be especially vulnerable to the ill effects of mold exposure. “What may be an inconvenience for a healthy adult could literally be life-threatening for someone else,” Dr. Detwiler said. If a vulnerable person consumes mold, “the outcome could be completely different.”
So far, Garrett has not experienced any worrying symptoms, according to Bullinger. The couple has not decided to swear off Olipop entirely. “If they were to be able to find out that it was a singular can incident, and maybe it just had to do with a bum can being packaged poorly, then our trust would be built back up and I can see us drinking more,” Bullinger said. Garrett “really did like the other flavors.”
Dr. Detwiler noted that Olipop is not the only company to face such issues. “We’ve had problems with canning and packaging since the dawn of packaging and canning,” he said. Despite the high visibility of stories like Bullinger’s, Dr. Gibson assured that the US food supply is generally “very good, high-quality, and safe.”
In the meantime, if the thought of possibly consuming mold is unsettling, Dr. Gibson suggested a precautionary measure: “I pour things out of cans all the time,” she said, recalling a traumatic experience from high school when she encountered a slimy, goopy substance in a canned drink.
Source: SELF Magazine
