What the…MOLD in unopened Swanson’s Chicken Broth??
Yesterday, the kids and I ventured over to Nick’s Garden Center in Aurora to see how they were coming along with their Halloween setup. Last year, they had this amazing selection of pumpkins, along with lots of fun activities for kids. This year, they assured me that it’s going to be even better – they’re adding a maze and haunted house. Fun! We’ll go back in a week or two and check it out. While we were there, I picked up a bushel of roasted green chiles. Yum! Winter is coming, and I LOVE fresh roasted chiles for making chile rellenos and green chile.
While the kids painted the “baby pumpkins” we bought along with the green chiles, I settled in to make a big, steaming pot of green chile. My meat was sizzling away in the pot when I reached for a box of Swanson’s Chicken Broth – thank GOD I didn’t just dump the thing directly into my green chile, because it was apparently growing an alien baby inside the box. I opened the seal and thought to myself, “Is that MOLD?”
I leaned down and sniffed, and it smelled…mostly like chicken broth. A little like nasty, too. Like chicken broth with a hint of chicken ass. So rather than pour the broth directly into my precious pot of green chile, I decided to pour it in a glass first. Something was definitely STUCK in there, and when I squeezed the box a little, THIS plopped out:
After I ran around the room screaming in horror, I started poking at it. Apparently, it’s a large sheet of mold that formed inside the container of Swanson’s Chicken Broth. I have no idea HOW – it was completely sealed up, and I just bought it a couple of weeks ago. You can see from the expiration date that it’s not old or anything. I poured the rest into the sink, and realized there was more gunk inside the container:
One good squeeze into the sink, though, and the rest of it plopped out. I told you my Swanson’s broth was gestating an alien baby!
Making my own chicken stock sounds SUPER appealing right about now. I can’t even understand how something like this happens? Have you ever seen anything like this? I’m accustomed to the little pat of fat that you find on top of your packaged broth, but a huge sheet of MOLD? Bleahhh!
Possibly Related
LaLaGirl is the mother of a teenager and two young sets of twins. She's happily married, loves living in Colorado, and writes almost daily about married life, raising multiples, and parenting a child with autism.
Ewww eww eww ewwwwwwwwwww. No more Swanson’s in our house. Oh, right, we never bought that brand to start with.
I hope you’re contacting the company, and the grocery store.
“Like chicken broth with a hint of chicken ass.” v. funny! Thanks for the humorous post and the great play-by-play pictures. And OMG, that is soooooo gross!
BTW, making your own broth is easy (maybe I need to blog my recipe…hmmm….) and also gives you a good use for the parts of a chicken that might otherwise not get used (neck, giblets, wings). AND you don’t have to worry about it being over salty. Or moldy, apparently
That’s gross man. Heeb.
Ack! That is nasty!! I will never pour chicken broth directly into a pot of stuff again. Grossety-gross-gross!
Ewwww…..Gross! The box must’ve gotten compromised somehow.
On the phone now with Campbells/Swansons – been transferred twice, given all the info twice, on hold for…5 minutes now, listening to “Mmm, Mmm, Good!” as muzak. Oooh, on hold in Spanish now…
Okay, FINALLY got transferred to someone who wanted to talk to me – she took down all the info from the package, apologized, and is sending me a coupon. YAY.
No offer of therapy, or anything like that. Ha!
EWWWWWW!
that is all.
EWWW!!! That is creepy gross. Alien babies in the chicken broth, beh. I will never pop open a box of broth and pour directl into the pan ever again ….
EEEEWWWWW!!!! I’m so glad that we use Progressive in a can Chicken broth. Yuck!!!
Everyone look at the container picture toward the bottom. There is a large slice in the container that was almost certainly caused by a stock boy slicing the shrink wrap off the entire case.
This would cause oxygen to get into container which would then produce mold. This can happen to any carton variety broth.
Update: 2 weeks later, no coupons yet.
Ewww that is seriously so gross!!!! Yummy…not.
HEY I HAD THE SAME ALIEN IN MY CAN CHECK OUT MY CALL TO POISON CONTROL ON YOUTUBE MINE IS MORE GREEN AND ICKY AND I INGESTED IT! CAMBELLS IS CALLING ME MONDAY!
http://www.youtube.com/user/djjennm#p/a/u/0/dnBwjk1hFdc
So, some time last summer I poured some Swanson Chicken Broth into a pot of homemade Minestrone. Instantly I was hit with a terrible smell. The broth was rancid and runied a pot full of pancetta and vegetables. So I got my Swanson coupons after sitting on hold for 15 minutes. I will say my customer service rep was very friendly. Today I am cooking the same pot of soup…I open the Swanson broth (that I got with my $3 off coupon), take a whiff this time before pouring it in and again it is RANCID. I have no other broth in the house so I can’t finish my soup. 5 inches off snow on the ground so I can’t do anything with it. This time I won’t be so friendly on the phone. What am I gonna use the coupon for?! More stock?!
Follow up:
Just spent 19 minutes 33 seconds of my time on the phone to be told that:
-my barcode doesn’t exist
-that it must be the grocery stores fault
-no supervisor could take my call
-I can get more coupons…no thanks
Patrick, I’m not surprised to hear about Campbell’s/Swanson trying to weasel out of responsibility – did you see this post of mine, following up?
http://lalagirl.org/2009/10/16/update-to-the-campbellsswanson-mold-thing/
It shows proof of someone affiliated with Campbells leaving a fake, anonymous comment here, trying to explain away the situation. So tacky!
I just googled “swanson chicken broth rancid” and came up with your website. I JUST opened AND ruined supper because I poured 1/2 a can of rancid chicken broth into the mix. I was pouring and thought the color was off…. I tasted it and YUCK! Has anyone gotten sick from tasting rancid chicken broth???? This was a sealed can… how the heck can it be rancid?????? I feel sick, but don’t know if its just my imagination because I tasted the stuff……
I just had the exact same thing happen to me- I am so disgusted and angry !!!! BLECK I don’t even want a coupon I am NEVER buying Swanson broth EVER AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!
OMG! I just experienced this thing in the Swanson Chicken Broth. I also was cooking and poured it into the pot and ruined dinner. This was so gross. I had to start supper over for my family, however I couldn’t get this image out of my head and couldn’t stomach to eat anything. It looked like a snake embrio or slimy intestines. I will call the company, but I don’t want a coupon because I will be making my own chicken broth from now on.