topic Re: Product warning in Community Chat

Product warning

LilacTree — Fri, 28 Aug 2015 15:12:58 GMT

Several weeks ago I bought two boxes of Progresso Chicken Broth. I used half of one box and put it in the fridge. Yesterday I went to use it again. Fortunately I poured it into a bowl instead of directly into the pot on the stove. I almost hurled at what I saw. There was an inch and a half long piece of fish skin in the broth. I emptied the bowl immediately into the garbage disposal. Thing is, as I said, I had already used half of that box in a soup dish the week prior, but just poured it into the pot with the rest of the ingredients. It makes me nauseous to think I could have eaten it.

I have the other box still unopened and am not sure what to do with it (I'm certainly not going to use it). Of course it could have nothing in it so I'm afraid if I bring it to the store opened, they won't believe what I say was in the other box. I would want them to open it right there themselves.

It's not that I want a refund, it's that I want Progresso to know what's in their "chicken" broth!!

I'm not sure what to do. Any suggestions?

Re: Product warning

PINKdogWOOD — Fri, 28 Aug 2015 15:17:03 GMT

I'm betting Progresso has a website. Google and see and tell them your awful tale. They'll probably send you some coupons for more of the same.

I'd more use bouillion cubes, hopefully nothing hiding in these as they're pretty small.

Re: Product warning

sunshine45 — Fri, 28 Aug 2015 15:17:56 GMT

fish skin? it sounds more like mold to me.

if you opened that box of broth several weeks ago i would not be surprised if it had grown mold, even being in the refrigerator.

Re: Product warning

Vivian — Fri, 28 Aug 2015 15:18:01 GMT

There should be a contact number on the product, or you can check Progresso's customer service information online. You should tell the company what happened. They'll ask you for all the information you can find on the packaging and where you bought it. They'll likely send you a bunch of coupons but I don't know if you'd want to eat anything by Progresso after what happened.

Re: Product warning

CelticCrafter — Fri, 28 Aug 2015 15:19:28 GMT

I would inform Progresso.

Re: Product warning

sunshine45 — Fri, 28 Aug 2015 15:22:00 GMT

http://www.stilltasty.com/fooditems/index/16777

this says keep opened chicken broth or stock in your refrigerator for 4-5 days........

Re: Product warning

Nightowlz — Fri, 28 Aug 2015 15:22:30 GMT

Eewh!!! Since you already ate a soup dish using it you did already consume some of it. I would have thrown up. I have been using Better Than Bouillon.

Re: Product warning

CatsyCline — Fri, 28 Aug 2015 15:25:56 GMT

it was likely mold. those boxes of broth should be used within 7 days. i haven't used Progresso brand. i usually use Kitchen Basics low salt.

do you use facebook? post your findings it on Progresso's FB page

Re: Product warning

Q4u — Fri, 28 Aug 2015 15:26:56 GMT

There has only been one time where I made a huge stink about something like this and that was when my oldest son was a toddler. I had opened a carton of Weight Watchers Ice Cream and was spooning myself and him a little taste. Luckily the pice of GLASS was on MY SPOON! I couldn't believe my eyes~! It was a piece of green opaque glass like it was from a Coca-Cola bottle. I was FURIOUS and sent them the piece of glass with a very angry letter saying I would NEVER buy their product again.

I received a letter with a copious amount of free coupons and their "apology" stating they have stringent standards at their factory and can't understand how this could have happened and was I sure I HADN'T broken a green glass in my own kitchen? I then wrote to the President of the company with a copy of that letter and exactly what I thought of their customer service stating it was OBVIOUSLY a pice of glass belonging to a coca-cola bottle and not from my own kitchen as I didn't even own anything green, glass or otherwise (I was a proud owner of Corelle)....

This particular product eventually went off the market and I can understand why.

As to your problem, I would definitely complain to their customer service department about it (loudly).... that it was so gross (and it sounds nauseating) that you can't even look at their product again....

BTW, keep the packaging so you can give them the product code (gives thm an idea which factory and where) this occurred...

Good luck.... yuck....

Re: Product warning

Say Nay — Fri, 28 Aug 2015 15:27:14 GMT

@sunshine45 wrote:
fish skin? it sounds more like mold to me.
if you opened that box of broth several weeks ago i would not be surprised if it had grown mold, even being in the refrigerator.

I agree. Several weeks to far too long to keep an opened box of broth.

Re: Product warning

Q4u — Fri, 28 Aug 2015 15:30:08 GMT

pice = piece

Re: Product warning

novamc1 — Fri, 28 Aug 2015 15:30:43 GMT

I agree with those who've already mentioned that the opened box of broth probably was kept well beyond any manufacturer's recommended time limit for storing and reusing.

I've thrown out so many opened broth boxes that I now only buy broth in smaller cans that can be used up as soon as they're opened.

Re: Product warning

nunya — Fri, 28 Aug 2015 15:36:36 GMT

Sounds more like part of it congealed into a slime like substance.

although, I opened a new container of heavy whipping cream last week and it came out in a big clump. Grossed me out.

Re: Product warning

DoneTryin — Fri, 28 Aug 2015 15:37:05 GMT

I also think it was ruined after being opened & kept for too long. I know these are convenience items & I use them, too, but it's probably better to make your own stock & freeze it into manageable portions. It really doesn't take that long & the veggies don't even have to be chopped up any further than to fit into the pot.

Re: Product warning

CatsyCline — Fri, 28 Aug 2015 15:39:36 GMT

when i was a kid we had a box of Rice Chex cereal, my father poured into the bowl a piece of metal the size of a postage stamp embossed with the "Checkerboard grid" . Just like a metal die-cast item. Gag. lucky my Dad caught it. They used be made at Checker Board Square, someplace in NJ we would see the red and white checks from the Turnpike

don't know what happened with that one, if letters were written ? but we later did have some Pepperidge Farm cookies that were moldy. one of the 'rents wrote a letter. The company sent a huge tin of assorted PF cookies with their apologies.

Re: Product warning

proudlyfromNJ — Fri, 28 Aug 2015 15:44:50 GMT

It is posted on the box to use the opened product in a certain number of days. I think several weeks is to long. I think it went bad.

Re: Product warning

LilacTree — Fri, 28 Aug 2015 15:46:47 GMT

@sunshine45 wrote:
fish skin? it sounds more like mold to me.
if you opened that box of broth several weeks ago i would not be surprised if it had grown mold, even being in the refrigerator.

I bought it several weeks ago. I opened it last week and put it in the fridge. My daughter looked at it too. It was not mold, it was a piece of fish skin. It was floating around in the bowl, not attached to the box at all. How fish skin can get into chicken broth I do not know, unless they don't clean their cooking pots at the factory as they go from prep to prep.

I'll probably just throw this unopened one away after I open it to see what's in it. Not worth the agg.

Thanks everyone.

Re: Product warning

LilacTree — Fri, 28 Aug 2015 15:50:35 GMT

@Nightowlz wrote:
Eewh!!! Since you already ate a soup dish using it you did already consume some of it. I would have thrown up. I have been using Better Than Bouillon.

I've always used either boullion cubes or powdered boullion. I have also used Better than Boullion, but have found it to be very salty. I think I'll stick to cubes from now on.

Re: Product warning

LilacTree — Fri, 28 Aug 2015 15:57:03 GMT

@VCamp2748 wrote:
I also think it was ruined after being opened & kept for too long. I know these are convenience items & I use them, too, but it's probably better to make your own stock & freeze it into manageable portions. It really doesn't take that long & the veggies don't even have to be chopped up any further than to fit into the pot.

Unfortunately, although I used to cook like that, I can no longer do so. Anything I prepare has to take less than five minutes of me standing at the stove. I cannot cut, chop, slice, etc. anymore, let alone handle a carcass to make stock. I miss those days, believe me.

Re: Product warning

millieshops — Fri, 28 Aug 2015 15:58:59 GMT

I support the mold idea completely - although I would call Progresso or email them. I know they answer their email because I've used their website for that pirpose.

An aside, please -- we all need to remember that use by dates are for unopened packages of any food. Once you open anything - soup, cheese, meat, whatever, you introduce all kinds of contaminants from the air in your house or you allow anything in the container already to grow. A few days is usually all you get befoire there's a problem.