I really didn't want to look at those pictures, but it's like trying to not look at a car accident...

i want to try one of those.

not a maggot filled one. just a regular one... unless regular means maggot filled.

@downwithmonstercable: Looking at the gross pictures placed securely after the jump is the Consumerist's version of rubber-necking.

I have never seen any food so gross - I will NEVER eat a Reese's brownie - UGH!

Stick to the Doritos!

Taking a bite is the difference between 5 figures and 6...way to man up :)

The FDA should investigate because the maggots were not included in the nutritional information's calorie count or protein content. Someone on a diet may have consumed more calories than was disclosed.

More horse testicles mean more iron!

Wow, I didn't know Reese's even made brownies. I'm sure they're quite delicious...when fresh. Sorta puts a huge a damper on trying one now.

Not that I want to ask, but I how much trouble would he be in if OP didn't 'vomit' what he'd already eaten. Wouldn't Mylanta, a regular consumption of water, and natural digestion have taken care of the maggots, or am I horribly underestimating the gruesomeness of accidently ingesting them?

Oh my god, I have one of these sitting on my desk... and I am horrifically afraid to even look at it now. Blegh. I don't even want to consider opening it. :|

I feel actually kinda ill given I eat these things.

Eeeeiiiiwwww!

One morning when I was a kid I opened up a new box of Raisin Bran and poured myself a bowl without even thinking about it. I took a bite and realized the bowl had cobwebs in it. And then I looked in the box and noticed it was FILLED with cobwebs and bugs, interspersed with bran flakes.

It took me probably a good decade to even think about eating raisin bran again.

That's a real stomach turner!

I would think that one's stomach acids would have taken care of whatever was ingested, but I think I would have vomited out of principle as well.

I hope they don't try to placate the OP with free Reese's stuff.

@BlazerUnit:

He would have been just fine most likely. I'm assuming the food wasn't spoiled, it just had maggots introduced to it. Mold/bacteria is a far more likely cause of illness.

That looks like a pantry moth infestation. We occasionally have that problem, and they get into all kinds of food packaging and are a pain to get rid of. I wouldn't be worried about eating Hershey products, but I might be worried about eating at that deli.

@jjeefff: Yeah, that's the first thing I'd be worried if I found maggots in the food I was eating.

Alright, looks like it's ice cream for dessert.

it's just a little extra bit of protein

@jjeefff: how else do you think the protein content is made of?

@lotussix: No, regular are plain; these would be Brownies Plus!

It's a little tough to see in the pictures on my screen, but it looks to me and sounds to me like mealmoth larvae [www.bugclinic.com] not maggots; those of you who have seen the mealmoths fluttering about the pantry will likely be familiar with this kind of infestation, as it's very, very common. I believe they're destroyed by heat, so my guess is that this is a package vulnerability rather than an inherently wormy batch of batter, and it may have happened after they left the factory. If that's what they are, they're not going to hurt him, but yeah, it's gross.

What's the problem? People on Survivor eat that kind of stuff all the time in their quest for the $1 million prize...oh, wait...

Disgusting to find webs in the food, I hate spiders. Bleh.

@MataHari: Never having heard of Reese's brownies before today, I'm assuming that these are manufactured somewhere other than the deli and are completely sealed, correct? Are these bugs actually capable of entering a sealed package?

Not that it's any less disgusting, but in the interest of technical correctness: I don't know of any species of maggot/fly larva that spins silk like that. I'm thinking those were moth caterpillars, not maggots.

I've had them chew their way into sauce mix packets before, with similar results--the mix was full of silk and pupae. The brownies may well have been contaminated after leaving the factory.

Actually, I don't think they're maggots. I think they're meal worms. No joke.

This is genius viral advertising by Hershey's. How many people reading this knew that there's a Reese's brownie?

@BlazerUnit: It depends on where they've been, but I'd guess just wiggling around in brownies is alright. Maggots, on their own, are quite safe.

Vomiting everything up is not always the best idea. You should call poison control or your doctor to get their opinion. However, if you feel like vomiting, even just out of disgust, then don't wait.

Some companies charge you extra money to include worms and insects in your candy: [www.hotlix.com]

You should be happy they were included for FREE!!!

@Dave J.: If their goal was to get everyone who sees a Reese's Brownie from this point forward to turn their stomach, I say they've succeeded!

Nothing wrong with a little extra protein. Especially when it's probably the most nutritious part of the chemical "snack".

Maggot Vs. Lead

Maggot: 1 Lead: 0

@geekgrrl77:

Ugh, now I'm going to go look inside all my cereal boxes!

Nice action by the deli in checking the rest of the stock! Too many places come off as apathetic in situations like these.

Hey, the maggots are probably the only organic thing in your Doritos and Reese's brownie!

Been there, done that, with a pack of cookies in the early '70s.

I believe 75% of the worlds population eats insects, so not a big deal health wise, but intention makes all the difference otherwise. Gross.

@MataHari: THIS!

It sounds likely that if they had searched the packaging NEXT to the brownies, they'd have the same problem.

Those little guys are kinda cute!

@Preyfar:

Open it! It's probably fine... maybe.

I think I'm just extremely picky, because I take a gander at my food before I stuff it in my face. That could have saved Marc... I couldn't imagine knowing that I just ate meal worms, their eggs, and some kinda webs. BARFICKYGROSS!

maggots I might expect. but worms...it sounds impossible.

worms don't simply travel across a kitchen and bore themselves into a cake. Think about it.

What's the problem? They're MEAL worms! They're named for eating! There's probably more nutrition in them than in the whole brownie. :)

@BlazerUnit: I would be unable to prevent myself from vomiting had I taken a bite out of this.

However, as a child I would raid my grandparent's pantry, which always seemed to have something with a mealworm in it, I've learned to be VERY, VERY observant about food before I eat it. Ickk...

Believe there is a "tolerable" amount of *contamination* allowed in food products. If you think about it, it is unavoidable. Yes, they probably were grain bugs of some ilk, which are endemic in the food supply. Rice and pasta purchased in small amounts can be placed in the freezer for a couple days to prevent infestation. Also, this is the reason for the FIFO (first in first out) rule. Agree, when it's overlooked and you see it -- eewww, gross.

9 times out of 10 it's not the manufacturers fault. It's the fault of the store not storing it properly.

Meal worms and other grain moths became a much bigger issue after the deregulation of interstate trucking. It used to be that trucks that carried foodstuffs would have to be cleaned and/or fumigated on a regular basis. Now the trucks have these guys resident, just latching onto anything & everything that's transported.

Complain to the store, complain to the wholesaler.

Welcome to America, where almost everything is sold in pacakged form.

@BlazerUnit:
Maybe it was just the grocery?

In all seriousness, I think your state or local health department would be the right people to call. They would be the ones with the authority and resources to find the source of the problem, be it Hershey or the deli itself.

This reminds me of a story my U.S. government professor told us about a maggot surprise he got when he bought some candy a day after Halloween. The candy culprit? Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.

@JulesNoctambule: I've worked in food service. If some guy had come in with an infested brownie, I'd have definitely pulled the stock and checked the rest of the batch number.

I mean, worst case scenario in checking some of them is, what, charging off some brownies and giving them for free to the staff not already totally wigged out. For added fun, give the uninfested, open brownies to the guys at the next shift change and then tell the story about the anomalous creepy maggot brownie.

@Mr.DuckSauce: /mandatory protein joke

@pinkpuppet: Actually, they better check the stuff next to it as well. Mealworms aren't very brand-loyal.