Raleigh woman upset after object found in candy

A Raleigh woman and her daughter found a mysterious object in their bag of Valentine conversation hearts.

Mary and Tara Needham say they found a round piece of mysterious candy at the bottom of the candy bag while feeding the heart shaped pieces as a treat to their mini horses.

"As I got to the bottom of the bag I started finding these little, funny, round pieces," Tara Needham said. Mary Needham said she tasted one and that “at first it didn't have any flavors."

Mary Needham said she got concerned when she started to feel a burning sensation on her tongue.

"It started tasting really chemically and it burned my tongue. I thought, ‘OK, that's it. I’ve got to do something,’ so I write to Brach's," she said.

Mary Needham said she emailed the company and messaged them on Facebook. When they did not get back to her as promised, she contacted WRAL's 5 On Your Side.

5 On Your Side contacted Brach's parent company, Ferrara. A spokesperson said an internal review was launched after they heard from Needham.

Mary Needham sent the mystery items to the company to be tested. The spokesperson said the items turned out to be "natural mints" produced at the same plant and that they were inadvertently mixed with the conversation hearts. Brach's also sent the Needhams other candy and coupons after they heard of the mix up.

Needham says she’s glad to know what the pieces were, but will now keep the hearts in a clear bag to make sure their mini horses only get the treats they love.

With the millions of tons of food that's processed by humans or machines, the reality is, things happen. We recommend that if you come across something unusual return it to the store or contact the manufacturer.

And here's food for thought, the FDA actually has acceptable levels for what it calls "naturally occurring defects..." like mold, insect fragments, even rodent hairs.