Aulakh received the bottle of Keri Fruit Apple & Blackcurrant juice within a Happy Meal she purchased for her son from the Silverstream McDonald’s on Sunday afternoon.
She emphasised she “always had good experiences” whenever she visited the fast food joint with his family and did not blame the restaurant’s staff for what had happened.
“The staff wouldn’t normally have any reason to open or inspect sealed drinks before serving them.”
Aulakh said she was grateful her son did not drink it and wanted her experience to serve as a reminder to parents to check drinks, even if they are sealed and well within their expiry date.
After she complained to McDonald’s, a manager contacted her to ask for the bottle back and offered her a refund or a replacement.
What she wanted most of all was for other people to be warned the juice batch might not be safe, especially since it came in a sippy-style bottle that most people would not think to open and inspect before drinking.
Karam Aulakh posted about the experience of discovering the mould on Facebook.
Keri Juice is distributed by The Coca-Cola Company who told the Herald it took the quality of its products, and any concerns raised about them, very seriously.
“We are currently investigating this matter and working to gather all relevant information so we can assess it thoroughly,” Coca-Cola Europacific Partners New Zealand said in a statement.
“We aren’t in a position to comment further at this stage.”
McDonald’s said it was “making inquiries and talking to the supplier”, but was “not aware of any other issues” with the juice bottles they stocked.
Janhavi Gosavi is a Wellington-based journalist for the New Zealand Herald who covers news in the capital.