FDA says residue is frog or toad; how did it get in Pepsi can?
Fred DeNegri and wife found matter resembling "pink linguini" in Pepsi can in July
FDA concludes blob is toad or frog "lacking internal organs," not sure how it got there
FDA examined bottling plant in Orlando, did not find anything connected to incident
Pepsi says FDA's finding affirms its confidence in integrity of manufacturing system


By Emanuella Grinberg
CNN

(CNN) -- The "disgusting" blob that Fred DeNegri's wife says she poured out of his Diet Pepsi can was probably a gutted frog or toad, the Food and Drug Administration said.


Amy DeNegri took pictures of the can in question right after her husband gagged on its contents.

DeNegri was grilling in his backyard tiki bar in Ormond Beach, Florida, when he popped open a can of Diet Pepsi, took a big gulp and started gagging, his wife, Amy, said.

He emptied out the can down a sink but something heavy remained inside. His wife took over and shook the can over a paper plate until something resembling "pink linguini" slid out, followed by "dark stuff," Amy DeNegri said.

"It was disgusting," said Amy DeNegri, 55. "And now, what started out as a normal afternoon in our tiki bar has blown up into this crazy thing."

The DeNegris took pictures before calling poison control and the FDA, which showed up the next day to examine the can in question and collect it for lab testing.

The couple received a copy of the completed report last week from the Food and Drug Administration Office of Regulatory Affairs, which concluded the foreign matter appeared to be a frog or a toad.

"The animal was lacking internal organs normally found in the abdominal and thoracic cavity," the report notes.

A second, closed can from the same 36-pack of Diet Pepsi from Sam's Club, was also submitted for testing, according to Amy DeNegri. No abnormalities were detected, the report states.

The FDA also conducted an investigation at the local Pepsi bottling plant in Orlando from August 4 to 11 and "did not find any adverse conditions or association to this problem," spokeswoman Siobhan DeLancey said.

"We have not determined when or how the contamination occurred," DeLancey said in an e-mail.

Pepsi says the FDA results "affirmed" the company's confidence "in the quality of our products and the integrity of our manufacturing system," according to spokesman Jeff Dahncke.

"The speed of our production lines and the rigor of our quality control systems make it virtually impossible for this type of thing to happen in a production environment. In fact, there never has been even a single instance when a claim of this nature has been traced back to a manufacturing issue," Dahncke said in an e-mail.

"The FDA conducted a thorough inspection of our Orlando facility and found no cause for concern. In this case, the FDA simply was unable to determine when or how the specimen entered the package."

When asked if Pepsi believed it was not responsible for the animal getting into the can, Dahncke said, "We have addressed the facts of the investigation and stated our position. It's not appropriate for us to comment beyond that."

But the DeNegris say they're hopping mad over Pepsi's handling of the matter.

Amy DeNegri said she hasn't heard from Pepsi since the day after the incident occurred, when she spoke with someone over the phone. At first, the woman was apologetic, but DeNegri says her attitude changed after she told her that the FDA had taken the can for testing.

"She asked for my pictures, I sent them and never heard back," she said.

The retired school staffer says she and her husband are seeking legal advice to examine their options.

"I want to see Pepsi fess up to it and compensate my husband for the negative publicity they have caused," she said. "I'm easy, but they're the ones that are making it hard."

this isn't surprising in the least.

the government has set certain regulations on the amount of contaminants that are allowed in edible items. how many ppm (parts per million) of cockroaches, rats, etc. that an item can have...

chances are, there's something icky in every can we drink. it's the amount that says whether it's dangerous or not.

Never buy anything in cans, personally, but that is true. I often wonder what assortment of bugs I am eating with my cereal. There's really no way around it, bugs get into stuff. I never just start drinking or eating anything with out examining it in the first place I drank bad milk one time, milk that I had let go bad, and learned my lesson.

I would had called the company and informed them but would have thrown the can out if the rest of the pack wasn't bad and let it go. And learned not to just go chugging down a soda with out checking it.

added protein is a bonus.....!!!!!!

We put all Grain products in the freezer for 24 hours.......the bugs that are in there are, at least, dead.....






Upton Sinclair changes the meat packing industry in the early part of the 20th Century....with "The Jungle" a great read...if you can Stomach it!!!!!

See! Now even I can take advantage of your paranoia.. grin. Thanks for the tip , however I think if my dogs can eat off the ground I will probably survive.

Sounds like a good read, I'll be sure my stomach is ready for it.. lol