5 On Your Side

Is that a firecracker in her bag of kale from Target?

Consumers find unexpected things in packaged foods more often than we'd like to know.

Posted Updated

By
Monica Laliberte
, WRAL executive producer/5 On Your Side reporter
KNIGHTDALE, N.C. — Consumers find unexpected things in packaged foods more often than we’d like to know.

But a Knightdale woman tells 5 On Your Side she found what looks like a firecracker in a bag of Kale bought at Target.

"Your mind doesn’t even like connect the two, right?" said Patricia Love, who bought the bag of Good & Gather brand kale at the Target in Knightdale on Monday.

When she went to make dinner, Love was surprised.

"I looked at the Kale bag in the bin and I saw something yellow and round, tubular. And I was like, is that like something they put in for freshness now?" said Love.

Then she and her husband read the fine print on that tube.

"It said, do not light while you’re holding it in your hand. And he said, oh my gosh, that’s a firework," said Love.

They could tell the firecracker was used, because the tip was burnt. Like the rest of us, Love wonders how that spent device got in the bag.

"I guess it was set up and it landed into a kale field," said Love.

So much for the bag’s label proclaiming it’s "thoroughly washed and ready to enjoy."

"It’s the size of a battery and it’s bright yellow," said Love. "I don’t know how you miss that."

After 5 On Your Side brought this to Target’s attention, the retailer contacted local stores to do an immediate inspection of the bags in question.

A company spokesman told 5 On Your Side:

"Food safety is critically important to Target and we take seriously our responsibility to offer safe products. We appreciate this being brought to our attention and are working directly with the guest who purchased this item to learn more. We’re also working with our supplier to investigate this further."

Going forward, Love plans to inspect packages a little more closely.

"Just something to tell people, ‘Hey, maybe look around in your bag a little bit before you throw it in your shopping cart,’" she said.

Target refunded Love the cost of the kale.

5 On Your Side frequently hears from people who find foreign objects in food and want a "settlement" for it. However, if it’s clear it wasn’t intentional, and you don’t have any sort of physical injury or illness, you will need to typically be happy with a refund and an apology.

You can always take photos and contact the retailer and manufacturer.

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