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‘What is this?’: Woman buys Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix. Then she opens the box

‘I was so angry when I opened one like that!’

Photo of Amelie Allen

Amelie Allen

2 panel image: on the left are boxes of Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix, on the right a person explains. Text over says: I was so appalled I couldn't speak.

Sure, all things must change with time—but must Jiffy’s Corn Muffins? TikTok user Carrie Evelyn Davis (@Carrie_Evelyn) opened a box of the classic cornbread mix only to find a plastic bag in place of the original wax paper one. 

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She shows the bag off and discusses the experience in a recent viral video, that has over 600,000 views.

Betrayal in a Jiffy

Davis stands in front of the camera, Jiffy cornbread muffin box in hand. Her son stands behind her, peeking over her shoulder as she holds the box open and tilts it at the camera.

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“Do you see this?” Davis asks. She points to the bag holding the mix inside the muffin box, then reaches in and takes it out. “What is this?” Davis asks as she holds the plastic bag of cornbread mix in front of the camera.

“You needa cook it,” her son comments. Davis rotates the mix around and brings it closer to the camera.

“What happened to the plastic—or, not the plastic—the wax paper bag?” she questions. “What is this?” she asks, crinkling the plastic bag for emphasis.

“You needa cook—” her son chimes in again, just before the video cuts off.

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“I loved not having to cut the bag open!” Davis says in the caption. “Just unfold and pour out!”

It’s fine—or is it?

“What makes the difference..” asked a commenter. “It’s in a bag so it’s fresh!!!”

In response, Davis posted a video of herself lip-syncing to a viral Smosh audio, Jiffy box peeking into the left side of the frame. “Are you kidding?” the audio yells. “That’s unfair! She made those—” 

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The woman in the audio then cuts herself off, stating, “I need to calm down. Everything’s fine, I’m an adult.” As she mouths the line, Davis raises her hands up in surrender. The on-screen text in the center of the video echoes this line, simply reading, “I’m fine.”

“I needed to vent about change for a second,” she says in the caption.

Contradictions in the comments

“Yes! I was so angry when I opened one like that!” a commenter agreed. “I want the folded wax bag inside, it’s a comforting memory of my entire life!” Davis replied saying she felt the same way.

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“Ikr gotta use a scissors to open it!” someone else said.

“Yes, one more step,” Davis replied, followed by a laughing-crying emoji. “My daughter was ‘why are you complaining and making people mad on TT?’”

Some users made comments similar to the one that prompted Eveleyn’s above response video.

“What difference does it make?” one of these users asked.

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“Ease of a product packaging and usage for one,” Davis responded. “When it wasn’t hurting anything and has been that way, literally, my whole life until now!”

However, a few commenters didn’t quite agree that the wax paper was harmless.

“I’m happy they started doing it like this” a commenter said. “The amount I’ve thrown of Millie worms being in the old wrapping I no longer get from the new packaging.”

“I had to completely clean and re-do the pantry once,” another user replied to that comment. “I’m glad they’ve finally changed it.”

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“How come we’re not talking about the cutie batootie in the background,” a user pointed out. “Trying to de-escalate mom by reminding her she’s got a few steps before the bag becomes cornbread?”

“He’s the best!” Davis agreed.

@carrie_evelyn I loved not having to cut the bag open! Just unfold and pour out! #jiffy #jiffycornbreadmix #chili #homecooking #wifelife #bluecollarwife #momlife #momover40 #sahm #blessedmess ♬ original sound – Carrie_Evelyn

Is this packaging change forever?

Jiffy has yet to release a public statement about the switch from its classic wax paper packaging to plastic.

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Based on other online accounts, it remains unclear whether or not Davis’s experience is due to a permanent change in the brand’s policy or if it’s based on where mixes are packaged.

On April 30, 2023, a Reddit user (u/Solid-Canary-484) posted a similar experience on r/Anticonsumption. “Same expiration date, one plastic, one paper,” OP stated. Below, he included a picture of two separate Jiffy mix boxes, one with a wax paper bag and the other with a plastic one. He tagged the photo “Plastic waste.”

What does Reddit think about this?

Commenters under this photo were uncertain about what could have caused this duality. Like Davis, they were concerned this was a new, permanent change.

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“Since their lot numbers aren’t the same, there’s a good chance that they weren’t manufactured at the same time, and definitely not at the same place,” one Redditor speculated. “It still might be worth reaching out to the company, as someone may be cutting corners in manufacturing.”

This seemed to be the consensus of the thread.

“As someone who works in manufacturing, they may have the plastic as a back up in case they run out of paper or need to run on a different machine, could be a variety of other reasons!” another Reddit user chimed in. “Sometimes things like this, if they do not affect the product significantly or cause an issue for the consumer, they would look at it as an unimportant substitution.”

The Daily Dot reached out to Davis via TikTok and Instagram direct message, and Jiffy via email.

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Update 4:06pm ET Jan. 30: In an email to the Daily Dot, a Jiffy spokesperson said the company is changing the equipment that packages its products. This updated process will eventually result in all of Jiffy’s products being packaged in plastic bags instead of the wax paper ones.

“At ‘JIFFY’, we are currently undergoing a packaging equipment transition. Over the next couple of years, we will be replacing equipment that is over 90 years old,” they said. “Our new packaging equipment employs a different filling process when adding the mix to our ‘little blue boxes’. This updated process requires an inner plastic liner and is unable to use our classic paper-poly liner.  This packaging change will eventually be used in all our ‘JIFFY’ Mix products. Our classic paper-poly liner is not recyclable, though the outer ‘little blue box’ is.”


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