Would you eat this granola?

June 6, 2024 5:35 PM

A bird flew into my kitchen, pecked a hole in the bag of granola, then ate some granola. Would you eat the rest of the granola in the bag? This is a big bag of hippie granola that cost $19
posted by shock muppet to Food & Drink (28 answers total)

$19? Worth risking bird flu for, imo. Maybe bake it for a while first
posted by pullayup at 5:37 PM on June 6

I would consider it claimed by the avian kingdom, and put it outside for additional birds to enjoy.
posted by heatherlogan at 5:38 PM on June 6 [20 favorites]

I would not eat it, but I lean cautious on food safety stuff in general.
posted by Stacey at 5:48 PM on June 6 [7 favorites]

I would eat it and sing a little bird song every time I did. This is based on no science whatsoever, obviously
posted by samthemander at 5:51 PM on June 6 [22 favorites]

Best answer: I would put my hands or a rubber band around the middle of the bag and cut the pecked end, spilling out the pieces that were near the hole and throw those out. Then I'd cut the other end open and put it in a new container. Also not based on science.
posted by beyond_pink at 6:36 PM on June 6 [32 favorites]

I'd pour a little more out through that hole, then pinch it off, and pour the rest out the top, and eat it. (edit: jinx)
posted by SaltySalticid at 6:37 PM on June 6 [5 favorites]

Same course of action as the above two.
posted by Rash at 6:47 PM on June 6

Nope! Bird flu freaks me out.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 6:54 PM on June 6 [1 favorite]

Please don't be patient zero.
posted by dmd at 7:03 PM on June 6 [6 favorites]

yup, remove a few near the spot, repackage the rest. now I want some.
posted by Glinn at 7:09 PM on June 6

$20 sucks to lose but is less than the cost of my regular doctors visit or an urgent care copay. I’d toss it.
posted by raccoon409 at 7:17 PM on June 6 [4 favorites]

On team "get rid of stuff near the contaminated area, eat the rest."
posted by mark k at 7:47 PM on June 6

I'm extremely liberal with 'would I eat this' questions, but nope, birds carry all manner of diseases. Just google diseases carried by birds for a list.
posted by lulu68 at 7:56 PM on June 6 [5 favorites]

Everyone should absolutely do what they are comfortable with, but I think if it were possible to contract a disease as easily as it would have to be in this situation - the beak and mouth may or may not have had brief contact with a few pieces of granola that have been removed and disposed of - then bird diseases would be more of a thing. But I am not a scientist and maybe bird diseases are absolutely a thing. (Also it is water fowl that are the carriers? Still not a scientist.)
posted by Glinn at 8:08 PM on June 6 [2 favorites]

I had the same happen but with a mouse and I considered it lost to the universe.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 8:50 PM on June 6

All sorts of birds are disease carriers - in a few rare cases, people have died from virus spillover from pet birds! That said, most viruses won’t last long outside the body. Nor can they spontaneously travel throughout the bag of granola. How about bacteria? They can last much longer outside the body and they may travel through a bag over several hours. Has it been a super short time? You didn’t move the contents around, right? If both are true, I’m in camp Just Throw Out That Section.
posted by Knowyournuts at 8:53 PM on June 6 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: 1. The bird took this granola, spilled a bit on my bed, then crapped on my bed. We are not friends, I’m not giving the rest to the birds.
2. I live in Canada, no copays
3. The granola was out for a couple of hours post pecking and I did not disturb the bag.

I cut around the bird hole, removed some granola, moved the rest to another container. Wish me luck
posted by shock muppet at 10:25 PM on June 6 [35 favorites]

> Wish me luck

Wishing you good health! My other wish is to know what kind of bird it was; had it been a vulture I might not eat the granola (not that there's any record of granola-eating vultures), but I'd happily eat most any other bird's leftovers
posted by anadem at 6:59 AM on June 7

Good luck! I support this decision. Do we seriously think no birds have pecked at any of the ingredients prior to them being combined and labeled "granola"?
posted by HotToddy at 7:50 AM on June 7 [5 favorites]

I'd eat it as is, but granola won't be significantly harmed by re-baking it a little, which should kill anything on the surface. 300F for 15 minutes or something should do it.
posted by ssg at 8:20 AM on June 7 [3 favorites]

Wish me luck

28 Jays Later......
posted by lalochezia at 11:31 AM on June 7 [14 favorites]

now, I'm biased as a bird owner, but I am not fussy about sharing my food with a bird because, unlike cats and dogs, birds don't slobber - the beak is very dry, so when they eat they don't leave anything behind. So, you should be safe with your discard-what's-around-the-hole method. What you should be careful with is the dropping, make sure you give your bedding a good wash and dry on hot. I'd think that droppings are a more likely disease vector.
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 1:32 PM on June 7 [1 favorite]

I'd think that droppings are a more likely disease vector
This. Personally i would eat the granola but ditch whatever it crapped on on my bed.
posted by 15L06 at 3:01 PM on June 7

28 Jays Later......

I'm kind of hoping for a freak viral infection that inserts avian gene and conveys to shock muppet all the powers and abilities of the common lawn sparrow
posted by mark k at 3:34 PM on June 7

Response by poster: The bird in question is most likely a crow, potentially it’s smarter than I am, I would accept its powers.

I ate the granola, I washed the sheets in warm and slept on them. 12 hours since breakfast. If I remember I’ll check back in a couple of weeks
posted by shock muppet at 9:22 PM on June 7 [6 favorites]

> The bird in question is most likely a crow

Did you take a corvid test?
posted by aws17576 at 10:49 PM on June 7 [37 favorites]

Mod note: [btw, this Edgar Allen Poe tale has been added to the sidebar and the Best Of blog.]
posted by taz (staff) at 3:19 AM on June 10 [1 favorite]

Did you take a corvid test?

I love this comment forever
posted by kensington314 at 10:49 PM on June 11 [2 favorites]