A mother from Port Moody, B.C. wants a brand of snack-sized raisins taken off store shelves after her young son allegedly found several unidentified pills inside one of the boxes.
Carly Lidderdale's three-year-old son, Jude, is as big fan of the packaged Jumbo Thompson seedless raisins sold at Superstore, but the family claims the snacks led to a concerning moment at his preschool Monday.
"The teacher called me," Lidderdale told CTV News. "[She said] Jude is at the table with me eating our snacks, he dumped out the raisins on the table and out came three pills."
It's not yet clear what the pills, which are in three different sizes, contain. Lidderdale said there is some resemblance to vitamins, but she believes it's unacceptable to find them in a raisin box regardless of whether they are potentially dangerous.
"[My son] could choke on it, chew on it thinking it's candy," she said. "I mean, I don't know what's in them."
Lidderdale contacted the Coquitlam Superstore where she bought the raisins, which are sold under the PC Organics brand, but didn't feel she was being taken seriously. She then called the parent company, Loblaw Companies Ltd., and was told they would get back to her in a few days.
"They were very, very apologetic," Lidderdale said. "I just want them taken off the shelves and for parents to be warned."
She also filed a complaint with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, which has launched an investigation. Loblaw issued a statement confirming it is trying to figure out what happened as well.
"The health and safety of our customers and their children is our top priority. We intend to resolve this complaint through further investigation," a company spokesperson said.
In the meantime, Lidderdale said any packaged snacks for her son will be getting a thorough check.
With a report from CTV Vancouver's Maria Weisgarber
