Cinnamon Toast Crunch with a side of shrimp?
Writer and comedian Jensen Karp believes his box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch contained a few shrimp tails, he tweeted Monday. His post went viral, and has been retweeted more than 11,500 times as of Tuesday afternoon with some sharing stories of what they have found in products over the years.
The General Mills cereal responded to Karp's tweets saying it appeared to be an accumulation of cinnamon sugar and that there was no possibility of cross-contamination with shrimp.
But Karp isn't buying it and responded that "after further investigation with my eyes, these are cinnamon coated SHRIMP TAILS, you weirdos. I wasn’t all that mad until you now tried to gaslight me?"
Save better, spend better: Money tips and advice delivered right to your inbox. Sign up here
In a statement to USA TODAY, General Mills spokesperson Mike Siemienas said the company was still investigating but "can say with confidence that this did not occur at our facility."
"We are waiting for the consumer to send us the package to investigate further," Siemienas said. "Any consumers who notice their cereal box or bag has been tampered with, such as the clear tape that was found in this case, should contact us."
Grape-Nuts shortage is over:Cereal brand to reimburse consumers who paid inflated prices during COVID shortage
COVID vaccine motivation:Krispy Kreme is giving away free donuts for showing vaccination card
Karp's tweet Monday and subsequent tweets started a debate on what was in his cereal with some Twitter users voicing concerns about shellfish allergies. Karp said Tuesday that the company wants him to send them the product and shared photos of his direct messages.
General Mills has had a case of shrimp contamination in the past. In 2011, the company sued a Michigan supplier over a 2009 shipment of blueberries that it claims contained pieces of shrimp.
Follow USA TODAY reporter Kelly Tyko on Twitter: @KellyTyko
