Eating Cake at Unmanned Store Sends Customer to ER...Turns Out It Was Moldy

Cake Bought at Unmanned Store Covered in Mold
"Mother Ate It and Went to the Emergency Room"

A story about purchasing a moldy cake from an unmanned store has sparked controversy. The business owner apologized and promised to prevent recurrence.

Recently, a post titled "Bought a cake from an unmanned cake store" was uploaded on the self-employed community 'Apeunikka Sajangida'. The author, Mr. A, posted two photos along with the comment, "The taste was strange, and when I checked the condition, is this mold?" In the revealed photos, mold with a dark greenish tint was growing inside what appeared to be a chocolate fresh cream cake. Notably, the mold was spread evenly throughout the entire cake, not just a part of it. Mr. A said, "My mother ate it and had to rush to the emergency room," adding, "I received an apology from the company, but I am very angry."

[Image source = Online community 'Apeunikka Cheongchunida']

Netizens responded to the post with comments such as, "It looks like it’s been about two weeks," "How many days was it left there for it to be in this condition," "An apology is not enough. Even if the cake was 4 days old, mold shouldn’t have grown; it seems they didn’t manage it at all," "The hygiene condition is terrible," "They seem to have not managed the inventory at all," and "This is a serious level. I have 10 years of experience in baking, and I have never seen mold this severe."

The shelf life of cakes varies depending on the type. However, generally, fresh cream cakes should be consumed within a day or two. Cakes made with butter-based chocolate cream are known to have a longer shelf life, usually about 4 to 5 days, compared to fresh cream cakes.

[Image source = Online community 'Apeunikka Cheongchunida']

A few days later, Mr. A commented on the post, stating, "My mother received treatment at the emergency room, and the treatment costs were fully covered by the business owner."

Mr. A said the store owner operated two stores and that he had received an apology regarding the moldy cake. Mr. A said, "They said the cake was over a week old," adding, "They repeatedly apologized for the poor management and said they would improve going forward." He continued, "With continued apologies, I just asked them to be more careful, especially since it’s an apartment area where children might eat it, and they agreed," adding, "The owner is elderly and acknowledged the fault with continuous apologies, so I did not report it."

Meanwhile, consuming spoiled food such as moldy products can cause vomiting, abdominal pain, and in severe cases, food poisoning symptoms. For bread products, which generally have a relatively short shelf life, the storage method until delivery to consumers is important, as well as ensuring there were no manufacturing issues.