A Pregnant Woman Found Something Scary in Her Costco Pasta — Then She Sued the Company
Costco is one of the leading retail chains that dominate the grocery industry in the U.S. But that popularity does not ensure the quality of its products. There have been too many complaints about Costco items lately, and now, people are speaking up about their concerns. An official recall notice on the Costco website reveals the many items that have been summoned back from the store, ranging from beef sticks to rolling coolers. But Layla Medina from Miami was scarred for life after she purchased a Costco pasta with a dead mouse inside, per Miami New Times.
Eight months pregnant at the time, Medina took a bite of her pasta and felt repulsed by the “unusual texture and flavor. Upon investigating her food, she reportedly found small snout and whiskers resembling those of a rodent in her spinach ravioli. She eventually realized that the Kirkland-branded pasta “contained the head of a mouse or a similar rodent,” according to Univision Noticias. The Colombian dentist’s chilling experience prompted her to file a lawsuit against Costco and packaging company Rana Meal Solutions in a Florida court. She also felt sick and endured gastrointestinal issues following the 2023 incident in addition to mental trauma, of course.
Medina demands compensation for negligence, strict liability, and breach of warranty in her suit. Detailing her purchase in the legal complaint, she stated that the organic spinach-and-cheese ravioli was bought from a Costco store on West Flagler Street in Miami on January 20, 2023. It happened while she was visiting her family in the city, and her brother cooked the pasta for them. Kirkland Signature is Costco’s in-house brand, while Rana, known for pre-made meals, was responsible for manufacturing, packaging, and processing the product.
Besides the official obligations, Medina also suffered from severe health complications soon after consuming the potentially poisonous pasta. In a lawsuit overseen by her attorney David Singer, she revealed, she was “made sick by swallowing part of a decomposing rodent's head, Ms. Medina at the same time became severely distressed about the effect that her consumption of this adulterated food was having on her unborn baby, as she was thirty-five weeks pregnant at the time.” Unfortunately, Medina had to suffer from horrible vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal cramping. Her husband and fellow dentist, Roberto Baez Allup, has shown support for his wife and is listed as a plaintiff in the lawsuit.
Established in 1984, Costco has emerged as a leader in the supermarket chain industry, with nearly one-third of the U.S. customers hopping in to pick groceries. It is also the third-largest retailer in the world, following Amazon and Walmart, per the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. Currently, the retailer boasts 134 million members worldwide and has given top brands like Nike and Coca-Cola a run for their money with their homegrown brand Kirkland. Costco has enjoyed success for decades, but has often failed to maintain basic standards in its product quality.
The food court fountain drinks were shunned as “the worst fountain drinks” by a customer in a Reddit discussion, as reported by Eat This, Not That! Similarly, buying fresh produce from Costco can be controversial in light of the outroar over degrading quality in the stores. Another Kirkland product, the Signature Sparkling Water, was also criticized for poor quality and no fizz in the drinks. As the popular retailer makes huge profit margins from the millions of customers, it is their responsibility to maintain the quality and offer products worthy of the customers’ hard-earned money.