Live worms found in Max Protein bar on flight - still horrified

[Aftab]

Never thought this could happen, but I just saw another post about the same issue and I'm still grossed out.

In April I bought four Max Protein bars (Choco & Berry) from Blinkit before my Delhi‑to‑Trivandrum flight. The packs looked fine, no holes, well within the expiry date.

During the flight I opened one, took a bite and felt something with a weird texture. I pulled it out and saw a live, moving worm.

I was shocked, so I checked the expiry date again and tore the bar apart on a tissue. There weren't just one or two - I found multiple worms inside.

What scares me most is that I might have swallowed one before I noticed. Physically I'm fine, but mentally the whole flight and work trip were ruined. The constant thought of "did I just eat a worm?" was terrible.

I took photos and videos, noted the packaging details and batch number, and contacted the company expecting a serious response.

Instead they said that because I didn't keep the bar and hand it over after my trip, there's not much they can do - which I find baffling.

I was on a six‑day work trip. Was I supposed to keep a worm‑infested bar in my luggage for days just to show them later?

Their only offer has been free Max Protein goodies. They collected the other bars for testing and came back saying everything was fine, even after I sent a legal notice demanding an investigation and compensation. The guy who collected the bars even offered more Max Protein products as compensation - lol.

After finding live worms in a protein bar, the last thing I want is more of their products.

It feels like they're treating this as a minor customer‑service issue instead of a serious food‑safety concern.

I'm sharing the photos and videos here so people know, and I'm curious if anyone else has faced similar problems with packaged foods. Maybe I'm overreacting, but multiple live worms in a sealed bar should raise more than just a voucher.

Has anyone dealt with something like this? What did you do?

*I didn't post this right away because I wrote to the company, sent a legal notice through my lawyer friends and asked for an investigation. I've eaten over 50 of these bars over a few years as my go‑to snack while travelling for work.

The company's compensation: refund for the purchased bars and more Max Protein products, while denying any fault. I'm filing a complaint with FSSAI and will also file a suit. I just saw another post with the same issue, so this is clearly happening.*

[Hari]

Extra protein

[Norman]

Please file a consumer complaint and, if you can, post the same thing on X - these companies need to be called out.

[Pranay]

Definitely filing a complaint, their response has been too casual.

[Ashok]

Sue the company

[Saloni]

Damn bro! This was my favourite go‑to meal replacement.

I've stopped ordering it from instant food delivery apps because the storage conditions seem unhealthy.

[Vandana]

I saw a couple more Reddit posts about this happening with MAX protein bars, and the company replied to my notice saying they tested "control samples" and found no issues. I think there are clear lapses on their side beyond just storage conditions - not sure how they're testing these.

[Cricfan]

There's a reason they call it MAX Protein

[Farhan]

They're just trying to downplay it. One person even found hairs in a Yogabar protein bar.

[Pillai]

Those worms won't survive in our stomach acid, so health isn't a big worry even if you swallow one, but the bar itself being infested is definitely a problem.

[Sharmila]

How did you even notice, bro? I would have kept eating without looking.