Mum's horror after finding 'rancid mould' in Cow and Gate fruit pot as she fed her 10-month-old baby daughter
Daniel Johnson
Updated on March 16, 2026
A MUM has revealed her horror after going to feed her 10-month-old baby and finding mould in the tot's fruit pot.
Disgusted Katie Sheldon said she had flagged the rancid discovery to company Cow & Gate –but was left fuming when she realised how many complaints they had already received about mouldy products.
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The mum said she was now worried not enough was being done to control the problem, constantly seeing other concerned mums share the stomach-churning discoveries.
Katie told The Sun Online: "I purchased one of Cow & Gate's fruit pots last month and when I opened it up it had the mist rancid mould. I sent pictures to them and they said they would investigate it.
"I've always used to buy fruit pots and I haven't bought them since."
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She vented: "The top had a funny floating spot so I thought I'd tip it in the sink as it didn't look right and I couldn't believe my eyes with what followed.
"Make sure you stir them and check them before giving them to your baby just in case something is lurking at the bottom."
The mum, of Snodland, Kent, said the company had at first told her they lost her sample of the apple, apricot and strawberry pot in the post but were later able to locate it.
She added she was concerned the issue was still going, with mothers having flagged discoveries of mould since last year.
The company has since said damage done to the foil lid allowed air to get in and mould to form.
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Katie is not the first to have raised concerns, with The Sun Online revealing that a baby had been hospitalised after she ate Cow and Gate food bought from Tesco.
Little Mia suffered from a bacterial infection last year, despite the product having an expiry date of 2018.
Mum Erin Jones also spoke out of her horror after finding live maggots in the porridge, a Cow and Gate product, while feeding it to her son.
Another said she had found an "amphibian-like" object in the fruit pot.
A mother even reported she had found a piece of plastic in the food.
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Cow & Gate said: "We are really sorry to hear about Katie Sheldon’s experience.
"Every complaint we receive is thoroughly investigated and the support we offer to parents is extremely important to us."
They said they were keeping her up to date, saying: "Ms Sheldon’s sample was received by our factory but their report back to us was delayed, leading us to believe the sample had been lost.
"Our investigation showed damage to the foil lid which allowed air to get in and mould to form.
"We know that previous instances of mould have been caused by damage to packaging during transport.
"Because of this we have recently strengthened the lids on our fruit pots, and these new pots will be arriving in shops very soon."
The company said any parents with queries should contact them on 0800 977 4000 or via live chat on their website
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