Most of us grew up with graham crackers. They are a staple of most cupboards.
But in recent months, a growing number of consumers have been complaining about one of the most popular brands.
Always loved grahams until now
Leigh Drake has loved graham crackers since she was a little girl. That is, until recently, when she bought a box of Low Fat Honey Maid grahams.
The problem? A strange smell.
"We opened them the next night," she said, "and there was this horrible smell. And I got a headache afterwards."
Drake says the packaging had a strong chemical odor, "like a very strong varnish, a strong paint smell."
So she Googled the crackers for complaints, and found Moms posting dozens of postings about a strange odor at forums like Consumer Affairs.com.
"I found a few things where people were saying the same thing I had said. Some of the reports went back to October, 2014," she said.
On Twitter there is now even a hashtag called #stinkycrackers.
Complaints say the smell appears to come from the plastic wrapper, not the crackers themselves.
So we contacted Mondelez, the company that now makes Nabisco crackers.
A spokeswoman told us "we are aware of some consumer complaints regarding our Honey Maid low fat graham crackers, and our internal team is currently investigating." (See full statement below)
She said the formula has not been changed and says the company knows of no health or safety issues.
Drake says when she called Nabisco's customer service line, a woman there told her to "send us the UPC code, send us the box number, and we'll send you a coupon for a free box."
But she says she doesn't want a free box. She just wants answers as to why her favorite crackers smell so bad.
What you can do
If you find something has changed with any food that you've always enjoyed, let the company know.
Call, get on their Facebook page, and post to consumer sites.
They may do something about it, and you don't waste your money.
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FULL NABISCO/MONDELEZ STATEMENT:
We are aware of some consumer complaints regarding our Honey Maid Low Fat Graham Crackers, and our internal team is currently investigating the matter.
This product has been produced in our Monterrey, Mexico bakery for several years. Across our North American biscuit manufacturing network, we have strict manufacturing and quality procedures in place. I can assure you that all our products, regardless of the manufacturing location where they’re made, are held to the same high standards.
