The sugary breakfast cereals we’ve all loved since childhood are the ultimate trade-off of the breakfast world. Sure, they’re irresistibly delicious, but they aren’t winning the Healthiest Breakfast Award anytime soon.
Twitter user Jensen Karp, however, bit off more than any of us would want to chew when he was confronted with a cinnamon toasted surprise in his box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch.
Cinnamon Toasted… Crustacean?
Karp took to Twitter to share a less-than-appetizing surprise he found in a bag of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. “Ummm,” Karp begins his tweet, “why are there shrimp tails in my cereal?”
Upon closer inspection of Karp’s photo, we’re all asking that same question. Two very suspiciously shrimp-like objects are hiding amongst unsuspecting squares of cinnamon toasted goodness, and they appear to be covered in the same sugar-cinnamon coating.
Cinnamon Toast Crunch responded quickly to the alleged complaint. “After further investigation with our team,” the company replied, “it appears to be an accumulation of the cinnamon sugar that sometimes can occur when ingredients aren’t thoroughly blended.”
Something Still Seems Fishy
Karp incredulously responded to CTC with two more photos of the UCOs (Unidentified Cereal Objects) up-close. Twitter user @ApocalypseDust backs Karp’s allegations up by adding anatomical labels to the cinnamon-coated objects like abdominal segment, telson, and uropod—er, not exactly the words we want to be associated with our fav breakfast food.
This fishy surprise does present an incredibly concerning problem for breakfast food-lovers with allergies. Shellfish allergies are the most common food allergies in adults, and a mishap like the one Karp alleges could prove to be deadly, not just disgusting.
CTC said there’s “no possibility of cross-contamination with shrimp,” but as someone who has noshed on their fair share of shrimp, the evidence seems pretty damning. The company has yet to respond to Karp’s most recent allegation, and we’re all waiting on bait-ed breath to determine just how fishy this cereal snafu really is.
And in the meantime, be sure to check your cereal bowl for unexpected crustaceans.
