Hey all!

Do not read any further if you are easily grossed out!!!!

I purchased a Nestle’ Aero Bar a few weeks ago, and when I went to eat it, I noticed something odd the second I opened it. Upon further inspection, I discovered what looked like a drilled hole in the back of it, with tiny web-like threads in it. Then, when I flipped the bar over, I found a maggot, just crawling around like he’d found the kingdom of heaven. UGH!! GROSS!!

Gross Photo-Not for faint of heart!

My question is, what may have caused this, and how common is it to find these in chocolate. It was just a plain Aero Bar. It only sat on my shelf for maybe a week. Has anyone else seen anything like this? And how long was it before you could eat chocolate again? I’ve recently turned into a pretty big bug-a-phobe/germ-a-phobe anyway, and I think this has pushed me over the edge.

Oh that is unfortunate!

I’ve had this happen with foods before, some candy (never a chocolate bar) and of course things like crackers (those little moth larvae love starchy foods).

The trick is to inspect packages these days. Though they’re not as fun, the newer plasticized plastic packaging like on Hershey’s & Mars instead of the foil & paper sleeve wraps do much better at keeping out those pests.

It usually happens in either transport from the factory/warehouse or at the store itself. If you ever see little moths flying around in the store, be very careful when picking out packages. Those moths are what those little worms turn into.

The good news is that they won’t hurt you, but they sure don’t make the chocolate taste better.

That has to be the most horrifying candy story I have ever heard! Now I’m going to be very wary of ANY candy I open up!

Thanks for sharing.

Oooh, I’ve had this problem before. Never with chocolate, but those moth larvae are known to get into most anything they can gnaw into…

I’d recommend checking the cupboard or whereever you stashed the bar. It could have been an infestation from the company or something already in your house.

yeah, my parents are always at war with those meal-y moths. i recommend checking your house thoroughly, if you see any of the small brown moths or this webby stuff it’s time to check all your food in cabinets and start moving them into air tight plastic containers (or glass) to try and minimize the damage. They can get into sealed, brand new packages as you have seen for yourself, and are almost impossible to get rid of. And for some reason, they like certain houses better than others. some people never see one in their house, but some houses have perfect breeding conditions for them.

Thanks for the replies guys! I guess I feel a little better finding out that it was a moth larva. I still probably won’t eat chocolate for a long time. Luckily, there is candy corn to fill the void right now!

I had the bar for about 5 days and it sat on a shelf in the open. I’m positive it came from the store or warehouse. Because I sleep on a sleeping bag on the floor right now, I’m overly vigilant about insects of any kind. My floor is cleaned with bleach at least once a week, and I spray insecticide under baseboards, on door, screen door and so on. Actually, sometimes I’m surprised that I can survive in this room. lol…

It’s a shame that happened though. There are only two places here that you can find the Aero Bar. The candy store in the mall sells it for almost $3 and this place sold it for about $1.35. I was excited, thinking I had finally found an affordable place to get these. (Mint is my favorite) I will definately buy them from the mall candy store now though. It’s worth $3.00 to know that it came from a clean and fresh store.  The one thing I don’t want to think about, is the fact that I did buy a mint one as well and ate that first. It was at night with low light in the room so I didn’t inspect it too closely. A few days after that I found the larvae infested bar, and ever since I have wondered about that mint one I ate first.

I suppose someday I’ll be able to look back and laugh at this. At least I hope so. I’ve always said a life without chocolate, is no life at all. There is hope for me though. I went ahead and bought a Take 5 bar to try and eat, since it barely has a ‘mocklate’ coating and the rest is made of other stuff. I am happy to report that it was delicious and I finished it all. (BTW, if anyone reads this that has noticed the difference in that bar because of the ‘mocklate’, I agree. It does taste a little different then it did in the past. It has kind of a tangy taste on the tongue.)

if you like aero bars so much, i might be able to hook you up with my boyfriend, he lives in canada where they have TONS of aero bars. and he’s usually quite happy to ship stuff for people. you could prob work a deal with him, or someone else from canada.

OMG!!! That is like the time I went to Subway and i got green meat. Keep eating chocolate, but one thing to get cleared out of my mind, did you phone/email the company? If you didn’t, tell them!

I agree with Riel, tell them about it. and you sort of have to blame yourself. You left it in a corner for a week, when you should of put it in a freezer! that is what I do with my chocolate when i don’t eat it quickly. Anyway, hi Riel!

OH MY GOD!!!!

..
U

that was gross

Definitly a shame
to waste a perfectly good chocolate, look it is either the basement, the corner, or the packing company.
I bet it was the corner : p