A California woman’s baking session turned from sweet to sickening when she discovered something alive in her brownie mix. Safe to say, she probably didn’t end up finishing the baking process.
Woman Finds Maggot in Brownie Mix
In a viral video with more than 65,000 views, content creator Jay (@justenejanik) captures the disturbing moment she realizes what was in her Betty Crocker brownie mix. The video shows what appears to be a maggot covered in brownie powder, clearly moving around in the sifter.
“Bro, it’s like a maggot or something,” someone says in the video as they film the unwelcome discovery.
“We decided to make some brownies today and after sifting why did we find THIS???? Be careful when using @Betty Crocker mix yall,” she said in the caption.
The fact that she was sifting the mix (a step many home bakers skip) saved her from baking the contaminated ingredients into her brownies. Had she simply dumped the mix into a bowl as the package instructions suggest, the maggot likely would have ended up in the finished product.
Why You Should Sift
Jay’s experience serves as an unexpected argument for the extra step of sifting dry baking ingredients. Even when using pre-mixed products. While sifting is traditionally done to break up clumps and aerate flour for lighter baked goods, it apparently has the added benefit of catching unwanted protein sources before they end up in your dessert.
Are Maggots Safe to Eat?
Maggots are fly larvae that are often found around contaminated food. While most foods with maggots aren’t safe to eat, the bigger concern is what the larvae have been exposed to, Healthline reported.
Healthline explains that houseflies commonly use animal and human feces as breeding sites. This is as well as garbage and rotting organic material. This means maggots can carry harmful bacteria like Salmonella enteritidis and E. coli. If consumed, these bacteria can cause fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, cramping, and fatigue.
The good news, according to Healthline, is that cooking typically kills both maggots and any bacteria they carry. However, the publication notes that eating maggot-infested food raw or discovering contamination after the fact can lead to bacterial poisoning or even myiasis, an infection where maggots infest living tissue in the gastrointestinal tract.
For packaged dry goods like brownie mix, contamination typically occurs either during the manufacturing process. Or due to improper storage conditions that allow pests to access the product. Healthline recommends keeping food storage areas clean and dry, and inspecting packages for any signs of damage or pest activity before use.
FDA Allows Insect Parts in Food—But Has Limits
While Jay’s maggot discovery is understandably disturbing, it may be surprising to learn that some level of insect contamination is actually legally allowed in processed foods. According to CBS News, the FDA permits what it calls “food defects”—the unavoidable byproduct of growing and harvesting food.
“It is economically impractical to grow, harvest, or process raw products that are totally free of non-hazardous, naturally occurring, unavoidable defects,” CBS News reports.
For example, CBS News notes that chocolate can contain 30 or more insect parts per bar, coffee beans are allowed an average of 10 milligrams of animal excrement per pound, and tomato sauce can legally contain about two maggots per 16-ounce can. Canned mushrooms can have an average of 20 or more maggots per four-ounce can.
Food safety specialist Ben Chapman told CBS News that manufacturers have quality assurance employees constantly testing samples to ensure they stay below FDA thresholds. When contamination levels are too high, the food can be sent to “rework” processes. For example, boiling cranberries to skim insect parts off the top before canning.
Chapman emphasized to CBS News that while insect parts have a high “yuck factor,” they pose a low health risk.
“Insect parts are gross, but they don’t lead to foodborne illnesses,” he explained.
The real dangers are foodborne illnesses like salmonella, listeria, and E. coli, which contribute to more than 48 million cases of foodborne illness annually in the United States.
@justenejanik we decided to make some brownies today and after sifting why did we find THIS???? Be careful when using @Betty Crocker mix yall #brownies #baking #bettycrocker ♬ original sound – jay
Viewers are disgusted
“Idk but i wouldn’t have even noticed would’ve baked that bug right up and ate it with a side of milk,” a top comment read.
“You know whaaatttt, I’m sifting everything from now on lol,” a person said.
“NO BECAUSE I WAS JUST ABOUT TO MAKE THIS EXACT BOX. okay now i have to sift, “another wrote.
The Mary Sue reached out to Jay for comment via TikTok direct message and comment. We also reached out to Betty Crocker via email.
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