Photograph: Gene J Puskar/AP
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has opened a criminal investigation after a video of a man urinating on a Kellogg’s factory assembly line surfaced online, the company announced.
The video, which was uploaded to worldstarhiphop.com on Friday, shows a man urinating on cereal as it comes off the assembly line. It then pans to a sign featuring the Kellogg’s logo.
An internal investigation by the food giant found that the video was recorded in 2014 at a factory in Memphis, Tennessee.
A statement from the company said products “potentially affected” by the urine would be past their expiration dates by now.
“Products that could have been potentially affected were Rice Krispies Treats, Rice Krispies Treats cereal and puffed rice cake products, all of which would be past expiration date,” Kellogg’s said in a statement to WREG News.
The video was shot at a time when Kellogg’s and a union were involved in a labor dispute.
Kellogg’s is conducting a separate internal investigation into the matter and is working to identify the urinating man.
“We are outraged by this completely unacceptable situation, and we will work closely with authorities to prosecute to the full extent of the law,” the company said.
An FDA representative said the agency does not confirm or deny investigations as a matter of policy, but is aware of the video.
“Food manufacturers are responsible, under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, for ensuring that food is safe, wholesome and truthfully labeled, and, while we do not as a matter of policy confirm or deny investigations, we can assure consumers that we take seriously our mission to protect the public health,” the representative said in an emailed statement.
