After a woman in Courtenay found a pill inside a birthday cake pop, Starbucks has pulled the item from Canadian shelves.
The incident was reported to police around 11:30 a.m. Feb. 1, after the cake pop was purchased from a Courtenay Starbucks earlier that morning, says Comox Valley RCMP Const. Monika Terragni in a statement to CHEK News.
The woman who made the purchase took to Facebook after she allegedly spotted the blue and red pill inside the dessert, which is cake styled as a lollipop.
The woman said her five-year-old son took a big bite and said it tasted “funny.” Then he said he didn’t want to eat it anymore.
“I reach back to take it from him to find this pill in the centre,” she recalled in the post, which includes a photo.
“Both Courtenay locations acted quickly and pulled all cake pops off their shelves,” the mom wrote to the Moms of Comox Valley page.
“I write today to inform you all that it can happen, and it has happened,” she added. “Please watch what you hand off to your kids.”
CHEK News reached out to the woman for an interview and will update if a response is received.
Terragni says Mounties seized the cake pop and the pill, with the latter being “sent to our Forensic Laboratory for analysis.”
Starbucks investigating with its supplier
A spokesperson from Starbucks Canada tells CHEK News the company is aware of the incident and is actively investigating together with its supplier.
They say some cake pops have been pulled from shelves countrywide.
“We have issued a voluntary stop-sell and hold on a certain lot of the Birthday Cake Pops in Canada out of an abundance of caution while the investigation is underway,” the spokesperson said. “Delivering a safe and quality experience to our customers is our top priority, and we act swiftly whenever a potential concern is raised.”
They say Starbucks Canada is in contact with the customer and will cooperate with the authorities throughout the investigation.
Terragni says it appears to be an isolated incident.
“Of course, if anyone experiences something similar, we would like them to call us and make a report right away,” she added in the statement.
Comox Valley RCMP can be reached at 250-338-1321.
Ethan Morneau
