An Ontario mother is speaking out after she says that she found a “jagged” metal blade inside a bag of dried fruit she purchased for her two-year-old daughter from a grocery store.
The incident happened on April 10 after the mother purchased a bag of Organic Dried Fruit Blend from a Metro grocery store near the area of Merivale Road and Viewmount Drive in Ottawa. The product is also manufactured and owned by the company Metro.
“My daughter was eating a snack… and there was a metal blade right in the middle of it,” said 38-year-old Amy Mastromattei.
“Thank the Lord she didn’t get injured.”
Mastromattei, described the object as roughly four inches long, with a noticeable sharpened edge.
Footage reviewed by CTV News showed the blade inside the opened package.
“As I looked in the package, I noticed there was a metal blade. It’s kind of jagged… you can see that the blade has cranberry over it, so it’s clearly from their factory,” she said.
She said her family regularly shops at that particular location and expects quality checks to come at a bare minimum.
“We pay extra for organic food not to have metal in our snacks, especially a snack that we give to our kids,” she said, adding that her children are two-and-a-half years old and nine-months old.
“She could have eaten it... My nine-month-old could have picked it up and eaten it,” she said.
Rejecting a $25 gift card
Shortly after the blade was discovered, Mastromattei says her husband quickly contacted the store but was left puzzled when he learned that the best officials could offer was a $25 gift card.
In order to receive the gift card, the couple says they were instructed to bring the item back as soon as possible.
“I just don’t believe (a $25 gift card) is acceptable. I would sue if I could… I shouldn’t have to worry about my two-year-old eating metal.”
CTV News contacted the company, and in a phone call, officials said staff were under the impression that the item would be returned so they could investigate further. They also note that this appears to be an “isolated” incident, but a review is ongoing.
The couple, meanwhile, says they are still considering other options, including legal action.
Multiple investigations underway
In a statement, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency tells CTV News it is “aware of the reported incident” and is “conducting a food safety investigation following a complaint received by its Ottawa office.”
It’s unclear how long the probe will take, but the agency says investigations can include tracing distribution, inspecting facilities, and assessing health risks. If a particular product is found to be dangerous, it could trigger a recall or other proactive measures.
Metro said it has reached out to the manufacturer and is reviewing the case.
“We are very sorry to hear about this incident and apologize to the customer involved,” the company said. “The safety of our customers is our top priority... we take matters like this extremely seriously.”
Going forward, Mastromattei said she hopes closer inspections are done at all levels of distribution, adding, “I would hope that their quality control would know that the blade broke and that they would recall the items before this happened,” she said.
She also has a clear message to parents.
“Always monitor your kids’ snacks… This stuff does happen.”
