Kielbasa Lunchables Illness Report - Mold, Woodstock Ontario

868 Dundas Street, Woodstock, N4S 1G7 Ontario, Canada

Kielbasa Lunchables/Lunchmates, Lunchables were on a crazy good sale at here, so of course I bought a bunch (March 21). My daughters and myself each ate one of the kielbasa ones yesterday around 3pm (March 23). While eating them, I noticed one piece of meat in my package had a slightly off taste - not enough to be overly alarming, but enough that I thoroughly inspected (with clean, freshly washed hands) and smell tested each individual piece in all 3 packages - but the rest SEEMED fine (Really wish I had trusted my gut, literally, and thrown them all out!). Through the night I had horrible strong, sharp stomach pains, causing me to toss and turn all night until about 5-5:30am this morning (March 24) when I couldn't try to sleep through it anymore and got up to go to the bathroom. Then started the excessive nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea (at times simultaneously), lasting/being stuck in the bathroom for approximately 2 hours, half asleep and feeling like I was dying inside. Once I was a bit more awake the pain in my stomach was unmistakable from past experiences, telling me it was likely food poisoning (this suspicion was confirmed in my mind later that morning by my daughter's symptoms and the fact that it was the only thing we had BOTH consumed the previous afternoon). Tried to lay back down for a bit until my kids woke up, but the sharp pain persisted and made it impossible to get comfortable let alone fall back to sleep, as did the constant feeling that I may have to run back to the bathroom. My daughters woke up around 8:30-9am, with my youngest crying off and on complaining of stomach pain (that I later found out she had been dealing with through the night/early morning hours as well, tossing and turning in extreme discomfort just like I had). Within half hour of being awake, while crying that the sharp pain was back again in her tummy, and before I could even finish telling her to get to the toilet quick if she felt like she was going to get sick, she suddenly vomited all over the floor. She vomited a few more times over the next 1-2 hrs, with the stomach pain persisting, but started feeling better around 1pm. I however have continued to have the sudden, sharp, strong pains and nausea throughout the day. Even now, writing this at 3:20pm.
Posted in a local moms group and discovered that others had experienced the same thing or similar symptoms that they originally thought may have been a flu bug presenting but have since said they believe they too got food poisoning from eating the exact same product & kind (kielbasa) purchased at the same location. One lady even mentioned her daughter had sent her a picture she took of what looked like obviously visible mold on the kielbasa in her lunchable and thus threw out all 10 that she had also purchased there on sale.
I have reported the incident(s) of [potential] exposure to local Public Health, they took down all necessary info, and are now investigating.
With how cheap they were (you NEVER see them on sale for such a good price - 1.67!) and the fact that they were almost sold out when I bought them, it is my worry that ALOT of these possibly contaminated lunchables were purchased and have been/are being consumed by children/people who have/will also be affected without knowing, without warning! (Hopefully my post helped prevent this for some, but judging by the responses and messages I've received, it's already too late for alot of others 😔)  | Symptoms: Nausea, Diarrhea, Vomiting, Stomach Pain