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WILKES-BARRE &mdash; The manufacturer of M&Ms has responded to a Wilkes-Barre woman&rsquo;s civil lawsuit claiming she ate several moldy candies that left her with a fecal aftertaste.
				Mars, Inc., of McLean, Va., was named in the suit filed by Marie Sweeney, through Attorney Robert S. Betnar of Pittston, in Luzerne County Court in October.
				Sweeney alleged in the suit she purchased a bag of M&Ms for $2.99 at Wegmans Market in Wilkes-Barre Township on Nov. 10, 2018. After arriving home and putting groceries away, Sweeney in the suit claims she placed several M&Ms in her mouth.
				&ldquo;(Sweeney) immediately noticed that the M&Ms tasted like candy coated feces and spit part of what she had placed in her mouth,&rdquo; the lawsuit says.
				Sweeney claimed she became sickened after ingesting the candies and had a bad aftertaste despite brushing her teeth and rinsing with mouthwash several times.
				Sweeney said she contacted Wegmans to alert them of the candies as she did not want other customers to have a similar experience. When she contacted Mars, Inc., they mailed her a $5 coupon for M&Ms and neglected to request the specific package of M&Ms to be tested, nor did they offer any guidance.
				Sweeney had the M&Ms analyzed at a laboratory in New Jersey at her own expense, her suit says.
				Results of the laboratory analysis showed the M&Ms contained mold identified as Syncephalastrum that is mainly found in soil and dung in tropical or subtropical regions of the world, the suit says.
				In response to Sweeney&rsquo;s lawsuit, Mars, Inc., denied responsibility placing blame on other possibilities to include Sweeney&rsquo;s own &ldquo;negligence.&rdquo;
				Mars, Inc, claims Sweeney had full knowledge of the risks pertaining to the use of the product, and if any injuries or damages occurred, they were the result of Sweeney&rsquo;s &ldquo;own negligence.&rdquo;
				If the M&Ms were damaged, the candies were not damaged during the manufacturing or distribution process but may have been altered from their original condition after leaving the corporation&rsquo;s control, MARS argues.
				Another defense raised by Mars, Inc., alleges the M&Ms, if damaged, were caused by misuse, modification or abuse of the product, and any substantial change in condition was unforeseeable, court records say.
				The three-count suit filed by Sweeney alleges strict liability, breach of implied warrant or merchant ability and breach of implied warranty of fitness for a particular purpose. Sweeney is seeking $50,000 on each count.

Mars: No feces in our pieces