A Costco shopper is swearing off Kirkland organic maple syrup—and possibly all Kirkland products—after her kid’s breakfast was ruined by the product.
Mae Ling (@legendaryray_) says she purchased a 1-liter bottle of syrup from the store. The syrup comes in an opaque bottle, so Ling wasn’t able to see the liquid until pouring it onto to a waffle.
“I poured a little bit of syrup on this waffle, and I noticed there was little pieces like this,” she says. After noticing golden and white chunks in the syrup, she poured more syrup on an empty plate to further inspect it.
Lings takes a knife and prods the chunks on the plate.
“This is so disgusting. This has to be mold or something,” she says.
Ling is shocked for a few reasons. The first is that the product hasn’t expired. The second is that it’s organic. And the third is that, as Ling later confirmed, she properly stored it in the refrigerator after opening it.
“This doesn’t expire until Nov. 27, 2025,” Ling says. “This is honestly so disgusting.”
“Just be careful buying syrup. I’ll never buy this brand again, and it’s organic,” she adds.
Ling is actually swearing off any food products that are in opaque packaging.
“So, yeah. I won’t be buying any more syrups that I cannot see inside or any food for that matter,” she adds.
Her video has over 363,000 views.
Ling reiterates her warning in the caption, “Be careful purchasing foods you [really] cant see inside of you guys this has never happened to me im literally disgusted.”
@legendaryray_ Be careful purchasing foods you reallh cant see inside of you guys this has never happened to me im literally disgusted 😫#costco #mold ♬ original sound – legendaryray_
Viewers offer explanations
Viewers in the comments section offered possible explanations.
“Did you [refrigerate] after you opened it? Bc you’re supposed to!” one viewer wrote.
“That’s how long it can last if it’s unopened. usually you only have about 2-3 weeks after opened. expiration dates are totally misleading!!” another explained.
“Probably a bad batch, or maybe the seal was open just enough for oxygen to get in . I’d be concerned if real food didn’t mold,” a third proposed.
However, as previously mentioned, Ling confirmed that she did refrigerate the syrup.
How long does maple syrup last?
Opened organic maple syrup, when refrigerated, only lasts six months to a year before it grows moldy. On the other hand, when maple syrup is not stored properly, mold will grow a lot quicker. “With any super-saturated solution, there is not enough oxygen for the mold spores to actually grow inside the syrup, so it can only grow where it comes in contact with air. When the syrup is packaged, it is done so at a temperature that kills mold spores, so you do not need to worry about mold on the surface until after it has been opened for the first time,” per Saragota Maple.
And glass bottles preserve maple syrup longer. However, like plastic bottled maple syrup, it can become moldy if not stored correctly.
The Daily Dot reached out to Ling via Instagram direct message and TikTok comment as well as Costco via media contact form.
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