Pioneer Foods / PepsiCo Appalling / Dismay Consumer Care

My Initial Complaint: I am writing to formally lodge a complaint regarding a 500g box of Bokomo ProNutro (Banana flavor) purchased from Pick n Pay Trade Route Mall in January 2026. Upon opening the product, I was horrified to find live insects’ infestation inside the packaging. This is a severe breach of food safety standards and suggests a total failure in your quality control processes. This incident has not only caused significant distress and a loss of appetite but has also led to an infestation within my home. I require a formal response from your Senior Management and Quality Assurance departments within 48 hours detailing your corrective actions. Failure to provide this will result in an immediate escalation to the National Consumer Commission under the Consumer Protection Act for a full investigation into the health risks posed by your products. The defective unit has been retained and is available for physical inspection upon request. All supporting evidence and photographs documenting the non-conformity are attached. Product Details: • PD: 08/10/25 07:21 • BB: 08/10/26 • Barcode: 6001156920055 Pioneer Foods Generic Template reply: Thank you for taking the time to share your concerns with us. We appreciate your insights and feedback, as they help us improve our products to better meet the needs of our valued consumers like yourself. We have received your query and we are sorry that you are disappointed. We would like to assist with resolving your query. For us to do so, we require additional information from you. Please assist us with providing the following: • Clear images capturing the following: o The back and the front of the product sample, including the pack size. o The product content and issue, i.e. tear in packet. • Flavour of product if applicable • Your Cell phone number. • Proof of purchase or till slip. • Store were you purchased the product. Do you have any remaining product? If yes, please keep it safe as we will need it for testing. We look forward to hearing from you and we will do our best to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. Thank you once again for engaging with us, as it is our pleasure to be of service to you. Sincerely PepsiCo Consumer Care My respond as a customer: I’m disappointed by this automated-sounding reply. I’d appreciate it if you could actually read my initial message and get back to me with a relevant answer Your latest response is unacceptable. You have requested information that was already provided in 90% of my initial correspondence, including the images and relevant details I sent. I am not looking for a generic template response; I am seeking a specific resolution to my complaint. Please review my original submission carefully before responding again. If I do not receive a personalized and satisfactory resolution by [03.03.2026 Tuesday), I will be uploading this entire correspondence to Hellopeter and other social media platforms to alert the public to your lack of service. I look forward to your urgent response My respond again after receiving a R120.00 Voucher: I formally reject the R120.00 Shoprite Checkers wiCode issued in response to my complaint (Ref: P00001-2603020041). Given the severity of this matter, I find this gesture insulting; you may retain the credit or donate it to charity. The "nightmare" experience caused by your non-conforming product, compounded by the incompetence of your staff, far exceeds the value of a grocery voucher. Your product introduced an infestation into my home that required three bottles of insecticide to resolve—an expense and health hazard your team failed to even acknowledge. Issuing a nominal voucher at your own discretion, without assessing the actual damages incurred, is a dismissive and appalling approach to customer service.

I am now formally demanding the following: 1. A detailed technical report outlining your findings regarding the product failure. 2. A meaningful resolution that accounts for the actual costs involved in rectifying the infestation.

Be advised that I will be uploading the details of this ordeal to all social media platforms to create public awareness regarding your company’s substandard service and lack of accountability. I await your immediate response.