At least a handful of Thanksgiving shoppers were dismayed when they went to prepare cranberry sauce, a holiday staple, last week to find that their marine spray cans were filled with water instead of sauce.
“We are aware of some reports of canned water instead of cranberry sauce, and we are investigating how this may have occurred,” Ocean Spray said in a statement to USA TODAY. “Millions of families enjoy cranberry sauce this holiday season, but it’s important to us that even one jar of sauce falls short of expectations.”
The company has been criticized for being accused of cheating customers during the holiday season. A video posted on TikTok on Saturday, November 29, shows a person opening three cans of Ocean Spray cranberry sauce to reveal that it contains water. One of the cans is opened on camera. The viral video has been viewed more than 10 million times.
In another video posted to Facebook on Friday, November 28, a customer complained that they purchased four cans of cranberry sauce jelly, only to find water upon opening them.
“This is my Ocean Spray cranberry sauce from yesterday…4 jars…has anyone else had this happen to me?” the customer wrote. One of the cans was also opened on camera using an electric can opener.
Ocean Spray reaches out to customers to ‘do the right thing’
Other customers visited Ocean Spray’s website and left complaints saying they purchased jars of the sauce only to find they were filled with water.
“Opened two cans of water,” one person wrote. “I grew up using this because I was so upset because there was no sauce on Thanksgiving.”
The company said it has contacted the individual who shared the video “to learn more and make the right decision.”
Ocean Spray did not provide further information about the incidents.
Michelle Del Rey is a popular news reporter for USA Today. Contact her at mdelrey@usatoday.com
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ocean Spray investigates water-filled cranberry sauce jars
