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This baker was buggin’ over a frightening find in her flour.
TikTok user @jennaliveswell has been left horrified after uncovering bugs in a jar of flour — and is now warning people to check their powder before whipping up Christmas cakes and cookies.
“No,” Jenna gasped in her viral video as she zoomed in on the insects. “Last time I used normal people flour was this time last year SO were they just chilling in my pantry all year?”
“Why did my container not prevent this?” she asked. “Did I buy already-infested flour? If so, ew, do better flour companies.”
The creepy-crawlies are called weevils and infest flour, rice, cornmeal and other dry goods in the pantry, according to The Spruce.
@jennaliveswell my reputation with bugs on this app is not too great… i have so many questions… 1. WHO TF R U? 2. where did you come fom? 3. last time i used normal people flour was this time last year SO were they just chilling in my pantry all year?????? 4. why did my container not prevent this? 5. did i buy already infested flour? if so, ew, do better flour companies #flour #bugs #bugtok #ew #holidaybaking ♬ original sound – jennaliveswell
Some people in the comments sympathized with Jenna, sharing that they have found evil weevils in their food, too.
“I once found weevils in my oats and didn’t eat grains for a year,” one admitted.
Others shared some hacks for helping keep the bugs at bay.
“If you leave bay leaves scattered around the shelves of your pantry, they repel weevils. Change leaves every few months. Learned it from my mom. I’ve never had weevils in my pantry or food,” another advised.
“We have always found that a few bay leaves in the cupboard is great for keeping weevils away!” someone suggested.
Food safety expert Bryan Quoc Le, Ph.D., explained to Delish that freezing flour for a week will kill any eggs that are in the powder.
Bakers can subsequently defrost the flour before using it to whip up any sweet treats.
He added that, while weevil infestations are typically caused by improper storage, it’s also not necessarily something that can be controlled.
The infestation can start “further up the supply chain, such as during granary storage, distribution, and storage at the retailer,” he said.
Quoc Le explained that weevils infest whole kernels and lay eggs inside the wheat grains before it’s milled into flour.
“Kernels that contain insects may pass visual inspection during processing, leading to the growth of weevils in the downstream product,” he said.
To prevent weevils from getting in your food, Quoc Le also suggests using airtight containers with “no openings or cracks” made of made of glass, metal or a strong plastic, as well as keeping the pantry clean of any spilled flour.
“As for flour that already contains weevils, the airtight container will not help protect the flour,” Quoc Le added. “But it will help prevent them from spreading and infesting other food in the pantry, or becoming a problem in the future if they manage to lay eggs in the pantry.”
