Wildly Organic other specified plastic products

The reports, as CPSC published them

1. Emergency room

   Made Dec 19, 2024 · , sent to the company Dec 26, 2024 · , published by CPSC Jan 15, 2025

   The product, in the report: (Formerly raw, now counterfeit roasted as shown through an ORAC test) cacao powder, sold by Wildly Organic. Dark brown color, 1 or 5 pound bags, sold both fermented and non-fermented. Van be used for baking, but also advertised for it’s “raw” enzymes and antioxidants, which are falsely portrayed as being the same regardless of the packaging, despite scientific understanding of the two packaging styles having distinctly different chemical affects. Sold in 5 pound vacuum-sealed, vapor-barrier plastic bags with iron-containing oxygen absorbers, as well as 50 pound breathable paper bags.

   Hello,

   I am contacting you regarding a serious packaging defect causing me a near-death arrhythmia and serious, lingering health issues, along with the company’s retaliatory behavior.

   The issue I have experienced with a company’s lack of accountability over the course of years, as well as their retaliatory, illegal behavior, in response to a defect with their product, is difficult to encompass here. I would prefer being able to attach a letter, via email, of the scientific and legal implications of their packaging defect and retaliatory behavior. But for now, I will briefly summarize the major points of the extreme issue I have experienced with this company.

   I originally was a loyal customer of this company, utizing their raw fermented and non-fermented cacao powders, marketed for their antioxidants, live enzymes, and probiotics. I incorporated both the non-fermented and fermented raw cacao powders in a raw probiotic mixture, seeking to utilize these healthful compounds to the best of their ability, by encouraging positive fermentation and the enhancement of antioxidant absorption, with the non-fermented cacao powder present to balance and limit the fermentation with resistant starch. The company was fully aware of these details of my mixture and routine while they falsely informed me of the equivalent safety between the defective packaging and the former, safer packaging, being utilized in this prebiotic mixture, leading up to and after my near-death arrhythmia which appears to be related to their packaging defect.

   My mixture includes raw potato starch (for its high percentage of prebiotic resistant starch), banana, peanut butter, and sugar. It formed into a fudgy brownie texture, and I would eat this raw brownie shortly before running 10+ miles every day, with great success and excelling energy and no health problems, for every day of the roughly 4 years I utilized the non-defective cacao powders in my mixture. As I informed my mother and some family at this time, I was approaching competitive levels of running such as sub-4 minute mile times. I also had a lot of energy as a cashier/server every day for the roughly 2.5 years I was at that job, utilizing the mixture and telling co-workers who asked about my energy levels. As they can attest, I also had powerful projection and clarity in my voice (I’m a singer) as I vocalize at work, which I attributed to a large degree this raw brownie aiding in my energy, breath support, and perhaps even affecting my vocal cords with its antioxidants.

   The issue is, all these health benefits were immediately replaced with a horrible array of health ailments which have completely ruined all these things for years, when I switched to a different packaging style they offered, which they have falsely stated, persistently (and even in spite of demonstrating awareness of the potential defect as Ill describe), that this packaging discrepency is of no concern. This is also despite full awareness of my near-death arrhythmia which occured as I complained of the debilitating affects climaxing which the defect seems to have caused. They refused a packaging exchange, both as I requested it days before a near-death arrhythmia, and now for years afterwards. It took me extensive investigation, primarily questioning artificial intelligence, of how this packaging discrepency could be related to the health issues I experienced, in place of the former cardioprotective and gut-stabilizing benefits to fully understand how their defect most likely caused the complete deterioration of my health. I now understand quite well, and Artificial Intelligence has confirmed, that it is extremely likely or nearly certain that this near-death arrhythmia as well as the coinciding health issues were caused by this packaging defect, as it is one of the few concepts that accurately explain all the coinciding symptoms I had, with a complete lack of alternative explanations.

   As I explain in my letter for the FDA, a random arrhythmia does not occur alongside an accumulation of debilitating gut pain, fatigue, and low exercise tolerance, but instead occurs randomly during daily routine. On the other hand, an arrhythmia that has been caused by an accumulation of pro-oxidants, oxidative stress, and harmful, arrhythmogenic byproducts which could both cause these symptoms and cause an arrhythmia, is incredibly likely, makes complete sense, and correlates precisely with the affects of the packaging defect which can cause these things, as I explain in my letter.

   To briefly summarize the two packaging styles and their affects here, they have offered both breathable paper packaged raw cacao powder and vacuum-sealed, plastic packaged, vapor-barrier raw cacao powder with iron-containing oxygen absorbers. Formerly, I utilized their breathable paper packaged cacao powder before switching to the vacuum-sealed variety. When I made this switch and compared the two, I noticed a darker color and less vibrant flavor/aroma as compared to the paper packaged cacao powder which had a lighter color and more vibrant flavor/aroma. I even noted these discrepencies as I tested them across batches and years, which can be seen in my email history with them. The alteration in color and flavor in the plastic packaged cacao powder can best be explained by chemical alteration, as I will explain.

   The most logical reasoning for this characteristic discrepency as well as the affects on health when combined in the prebiotic mixture are as follows- resistant starch and sugar are highly fermentable, especially with a product high in antioxidants and enzymes as raw cacao powder is. The danger is if the fermentation, instead of promoting antioxidant absorption and fermenting healthful short-chain-fatty-acids (SCFA’s), and improving the utilization of cardioprotective antioxidants, enzymes, and probiotics, (as the stability of antioxidants, enzymes, and probiotics in the breathable paper would promote), instead promotes redox cycling and pro-oxidant stress with poorly bioavailable antioxidants and arrhythmogenic compounds due to excessive dryness (in the case of the vacuum-sealed packaging). These risk factors in the excessively dry packaging would also align precisely with the darker color and less vibrant flavor/aroma the chemical alteration would cause, which I noted across batches.

   This excessive dryness can prevent the formation of probiotic complexes between antioxidants, enzymes, fibers, probiotics, and released Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). Additionally, VOCs can be either positive or negative depending on the situation. In the case of breathable paper, the natural release of beneficial VOCs from cacao powder can occur, which enhance bioavailability and promote the formation of probiotic complexes. This both improves the utility of the cardioprotective compounds and prevents the formation of harmful compounds. In the case of the vacuum-sealed, modified atmosphere packaging, iron-containing oxygen absorbers, as well as excessive dryness, can promote VOCs which are byproducts of oxidation and a result of enzymes and antioxidants losing their stability due to a lack of moisture which these compounds need to remain stable. As a result, negative VOCs, harmful oxidative byproducts, as well as a lack of bioavailable antioxidants, enzymes, or probiotics, can result in these compounds interacting negatively with resistant starch and sugars. These interactions can then result in redox cycling, where poorly bioavailable antioxidants, poorly digesting sugars and resistant starch, and the harmful oxidative byproducts and negative VOCs, are repeadedly oxidized and reduced, resulting in the formation of more harmful byproducts such as pro-oxidants, especially via the conversion of the poorly bioavailable antioxidants with oxidative byproducts into pro-oxidants, which the excessively dry cacao powder is high in. As these harmful compounds accumulate, they could cause the body to gradually be overwhelmed by oxidative stress, resulting in debilitating gut pain, fatigue, and low exercise tolerance (signs of the body shutting down/ being overwhelmed), and culminating in a near-death arrhythmia. This aligns with my precise experience, and is not what would be expected to occur with a random arrhythmia, and there are no alternative explanations for this accumulation of symptoms.

   This is just a brief overview of how these scientific concepts work, and I believe should give a good idea as to why the company’s claims regarding the equivalent safety of either packaging style and disallowment of a packaging exchange, in spite of their knowledge, exceedingly dangerous and negligent. I informed them of the characteristic darker color and less vibrant color/aroma which the excessive dryness would precisely cause, the debilitating health affects which occured during its consumption leading up to a near-death arrhythmia which this chemical alteration related to this characteristic discrepency could cause, and I even have informed them via the [REDACTED] about many of these details, which they refused to address. I believe that these details, which I explain in greater detail in my letter, make a powerful and compelling case that my health ailments which became debilitatingly severe leading up to a near-death arrhythmia, are best explained by this packaging defect. Amongst many failures of the company, these details first and foremost show that the company was negligent in stating to me both leading up to my near-death arrhythmia (As I complained of the product causing me debilitating gut pain, fatigue, and low exercise tolerance and requested a packaging exchange) that the packaging discrepency would not affect the product or my health, but most especially for continuing to dangerously and falsely persist in these statements and their disallowmemt of a packaging exchange any time after this occurance, in spite of knowing about these debilitating symptoms leading up to the near-death arrhythmia, and concerning properties in the product. Due to these actions and statements, and no other explanations, I have been unable to recover my ability to run, sing, and work well, due to feeling tried and having low energy, general/muscle fatigue, gut problems, my vocal cords feeling weak and having flem in my throat, and feeling extremely depressed due to these health issues and the company’s retaliatory behavior I will go over. These issues all occured in spite of the doctor stating I made a full recovery with no permanent heart damage, and that I should be able to shortly return to my normal way of life. Therefore, the only plausible explanation of the coinciding newly introduced health issues, is the arrhythmogenic, oxidative byproducts and pro-oxidant stress promoted by the packaging defect, which could cause all these precise health ailments, as I explain in my letter which I would like to attach for you.

   After over a year and a half of dealing with these newly introduced health ailments, and the company persisting in falsely stating the equivalent nature of either packaging style, and disallowing a packaging exchange, resulting in immense suffering and a lack of a path forward for me to recover my former health, I finally warned of telling others of their poor treatment of me and their false statements.

   Their response was unnaceptable, and the most corrupt series of actions one could imagine, which I never expected out of this company I was formerly a loyal customer of for over 4 years. They took 3 coinciding actions which appear retaliatory in nature and to avoid accountability - (1) They issued me a cease and desist letter, falsely dismissing my concerns and threatening legal action (2) They switched to counterfeit, falsely advertised, roasted cocoa powder, while still advertising it as raw. I learned this through contacting their supplier, and inquiring about their last shipment to the company of raw cacao. I also performed an ORAC test to prove it. This appears to be done to cover up the discrepencies the packaging could cause on a raw product, as roasting would make the product more uniform. (3) They ceased the sale of the breathable paper packaged non-fermented cacao powder for “safety reasons” as they later told the [REDACTED] (Directly contradicting their persistent statements that either packaging style is equally as safe.) This in particular demonstrates that they were fully aware of potential discrepencies in the chemical nature of the product and it’s safety, and in spite of this awareness, falsely assured me of its safety, and proves that their cease and desist letter where they knowingly, falsely assured the equivalent safety and dismissed my concerns, was retaliatory in nature.

   These are the major points which show the importance of my situation regarding this company, their complete avoidance of accountability, and their seeming retaliatory, intentional malicious actions directed against me, because of the awareness of their legal culpability for harm caused to me. The scientific details regarding the packaging discrepency would take quite a bit of space here to go over. In my letter to the FDA, I go over the precise scientific details, and why it can be said that the most likely cause of my health issues leading up to and after my near-death arrhythmia, were nearly certainly caused by this company’s packaging defect, and that their seeming retaliatory and illegal behavior makes them further deserving of legal action, for the complete emotional and physical destruction caused to a 4-year loyal customer out of an attempt of self-defense and avoidance of accountability. As a final statement to reveal the concern of this issue, I would like to state that the store owner formerly worked for [REDACTED], a company known for poor, deceptive business practices and some food outbreaks.

   I’m thankful for your work advocating for consumers and the protection of their health. I look forward to any questions you may have or assistance you can offer. I believe I’ve demonstrated very accurately and from a scientific perspective that this company most likely contributed to or caused my near-death arrhythmia which my heart luckily recovered from, and the coinciding, lingering health issues I experienced. I also demonstrate through the company’s statements regarding their awareness of a safety issues to the [REDACTED], combined with their contradictory assurance of its safety to me, and their retaliatory cease and desist letter where they dismiss my concerns, that their actions are negligent, malicious, and retaliatory in nature. I can further show their blatant disregard for the truth out of self-defense in their false statements to the Attorney General who I complained to the year of the incident while having less knowledge, that they falsely state I did not contact them until months after my near-death arrhythmia, when in reality I contacted them days before, requesting a packaging exchange, and complaining of problematic qualities in the product and a buildup of debilitating gut pain, fatigue, and low exercise tolerance it was causing me- symptoms which align with the defect causing my body to shut down and causing oxidative stress which causes or contributes to arrhythmia. I hope to receive an email address to send my letter which contains an in-depth detailing of these issues and events, their legal culpabity/ false statements and retaliatory behavior, and scientific understanding surrounding these issues.

   Thank you,

   [REDACTED]

   Bought from

   Wildlyorganic.com

   Bought

   Dec 2, 2020, about then

   Where

   Mukilteo, Washington: Street or Highway

   Who was involved

   Age 30, Male

   The reporter’s relation to them

   Self

   As this report names them

   Brand Wildly Organic, made or sold by Wildly Organic, LLC

   How badly, in CPSC’s words

   Injury, Emergency Department Treatment Received

CPSC’s disclaimer

Sources