Costco customer issues warning about Kirkland Coconut water after she noticed what was inside

Reputed brands come with an assurance about the quality of products, and when they fail to live up to the standards, consumers are left with trust issues. Costco's in-house brand Kirkland Signature has been hit by multiple recalls in the past few months, with butter and eggs being pulled off shelves either due to printing mistakes or a threat of e-coli. The latest Kirkland product to be compromised is coconut water. The drink has seen a sharp increase in popularity especially among athletes in the recent past and is readily available across all Costco stores.

Costco being a brand with a big reputation, has several customers who trust the retailer. So when TikTok user Cayla (@c_yla) revealed the mold that had been growing inside one of their coconut water tetra packs, several people were left shocked. The video, which has the text overlay, “POV: your sign to NOT buy organic coconut water from Costco,” has garnered 2.7 million views. Understandably, there were a lot of angry customers in the comments section.

“I opened the drink and tried it. It tasted funny so I looked inside and there was something visible. I decided to film right away. I am aware that when drinks are open they need to be refrigerated,” the creator further explained in the comments section. She added, “I opened the rest of the sealed ones too and they are all moldy!” Cayla took a coconut drink package and emptied its contents into a glass in the video. She then proceeded to cut open the container to reveal a gigantic chunk of mold near the mouth. If you saw that in your drink, you’d have every reason to be concerned. Ingesting mold has serious consequences as some may contain toxins.

While some believe the mold came into existence since the drink was not refrigerated, Cayla is certain that the issue lies with the packaging. “This similar story has happened to me with oat milk from a different brand before. It must be from the packaging,” she said as per Daily Dot. “I also know that drinks need to be consumed within 3-7 days of opening and must be refrigerated. But this was not the case!”

“The drink came directly from the fridge and I had opened it 2 minutes before I filmed the TikTok. I felt sick to my stomach when I saw the size of the mold,” she added. Kirkland Signature is not the only brand that has faced this issue. Daily Dot reported that earlier a Vita Coco drinker faced a similar issue. Their case was much worse than Cayla’s.

When the customer proceeded to take a sip, there was nothing inside the container. They opened it up to find a massive mold growing at the bottom. The company has commented on the matter and said that it was a packaging-related incident. “Vita Coco is a natural product, so if the packaging is damaged and air gets into the package before you’re ready to drink it, mold can occur,” a statement read.

Nonetheless, consumers were not happy with Kirkland and they made their feelings known. “Sighs after just drinking coconut water from one of those bottles,” one user commented. “I've seen many vids on coconut water molding in these containers. different brands, not just Costco!!” quipped another.