Most people won’t argue with the fact that a morning coffee is a great way to start the day. However, that feeling you get upon that first sip can be soured real quick if you discover mold in your cup of joe.
This is what college student Mary Claire Daquilla (@maryyy.claireee) says she experienced.
“That one time my chobani oat milk had mold in it before the expiration date. (I drank it),” she recalls in the text overlay of her now-viral TikTok.
Daquilla’s video, which features her dumping her coffee in the sink, has been viewed over 3.5 million times. She watches what appears to be mold swimming down the drain.
“Ewww,” the content creator gags. “Uh uh.”
Her video then goes back in time to before she made the discovery. She filmed herself making the ill-fated coffee.
She even reads the expiration date on the Chobani oat milk carton. The content creator then shakes it, pours the oat milk into her cup of iced coffee, and stirs it with a spoon. Daquilla then takes a sip but scrunches her face in disgust.
“Something’s weird,” she says. Brushing it off, she takes another sip—the same sour expression appearing on her face. After she sniffs the drink for any foul odors, she adds more to the coffee, believing that will fix the problem. As the content creator begins stirring the drink, she notices that something is off.
“I saw something really weird,” she says, fishing through the ice until she pulls out a small chunk of mold. Gagging, Daquilla examines the inside of the oat milk carton and is horrified.
“Yeah! It was literally in date too,” she adds in the caption.
The Daily Dot reached out to Daquilla via TikTok comment and direct message as well as to Chobani via press email.
Mold victims weigh in
Many viewers shared their similar experiences with opened oat milk before the expiration date.
“Happened to me!!! i kept eating the chunks thinking it was ice chunks,” one viewer shared.
Oat milk goes bad fast for sum reason even tho its in the fridge, i bought one a few days ago, and when i opened it it tasted like moldy flowers, very perfumed,” a second recalled.
“Happened to me today! WTH,” a third stated.
Is there a small window to drink oat milk?
“You have to use it within 7 days! i was also a mold victim,” a fourth warned.
Clean Eating Magazine states that unopened refrigerated oat milk has a lifespan of two to three weeks, whereas opened oat milk only lasts five to seven days. Depending on the brand, some oat milks are good for seven to 10 days. This is usually noted somewhere on the carton.
So even though the best by date is still in-bounds, it’s best to pay attention to how long the milk is good for after opening instead.
Signs of rotten oat milk
If you’re unsure if your oat milk has spoiled, Eating Well lists the following signs:
- Sour/foul odor
- Lumpy/thick texture
- Yellowish coloring
@maryyy.claireee Yeah! It was literally in date too🥲 #chobani #chobanioatmilk #oatmilk #mold #gross #moldy #icedcoffee #fail #gonewrong ♬ Funny – Gold-Tiger
If your oat milk exhibits any of these, toss it pronto. Consuming spoiled oat milk can make you sick.
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