I recently had a bizarre experience.
Let me begin by saying, I am a vegetarian and go to great lengths to
purchase wholesome organic foods. I have
a vegetable garden because there is no better way to ensure you are eating
100% clean. I am also thoughtful of my carbon footprint, and I do not buy any toxic cleaning supplies, like bleach and other
heavy-duty house cleaners.
So, when I was on my computer and began to notice a burning
sensation on my fingers I could not imagine what was causing it. I continued
working for a few more moments but then the pain became distracting and unbearable. I looked down at my hands and noticed white
marks, which I recognized immediately as some form of chemical burn. Yikes!!!
Immediately, I washed my hands under cool water for what seemed like
a long time before I felt some relief. I
applied coconut oil and a topical antibiotic cream to my hands. It was several hours before the immediate
burning sensation diminished but I could feel the slight sting for a few days
still. Thankfully, I didn’t
inadvertently touch my eyes when I had the substance on my hands. It really
would have been so much worst.
I felt disbelief when I found the cause. It was from a Pacific brand prepackaged organic soup. The package looked pretty innocuous. It didn’t look like it had been tampered with
and the expiry date had not yet passed.
What I am able to ascertain is that when I cut open the top it exposed
some type of chemical. I am not sure but
the substance felt like some form of acid. That substance had to be in the
package lid because when I touched it before it was open there had been no reaction
on my hands, nor has anyone else who handled it had any averse reaction to it.
I immediately placed it into a zip lock bag. This substance seemed
to be extremely toxic that
 |
| Notice whiteness where the box is burned |
even sealed in the bag, when moved resulted in another
reaction. I wiped down my entire
kitchen, all surfaces and everything I remembered touching.
I called Health Canada Food Safety, my call was returned immediately. A file was opened and sent to Ottawa. Ingrid, the food inspector from the Ottawa area
contacted me and said they would investigate any controls in place at the site where it is packaged.
I also called the company Pacific
foods and informed them about the
situation. Jan from Regional sales returned my call immediately. She requested I email her pictures of my
hands. I have not heard from her since I
sent the email.
I have no idea if this is an isolated case or if it is more
widespread. I do not know if it was contaminated at the source or somewhere
else. I have no idea if it was some nefarious person’s prank and if anyone
specifically was the target.
It is a mystery! What I am
able to say however is be cautious of this product and if you have it keep it away
from children. The best before date is
May 23,2017. Batch number is 15143-23
09057.
