A mother from Florida purchased a can of SpaghettiOs from Walmart in June 2024. She has now filed a lawsuit against the retailer and Campbell Co., alleging that the product contained moving organisms. Mary Hubbard claims that she and her minor daughter suffered severe health effects as a result of the “worms” she discovered in the can.
According to a report by NBC, Hubbard and her husband, Gregory Lovell, officially filed the lawsuit on June 2, 2026. The couple filed the complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, where they specified that the SpaghettiOs were purchased from a Walmart Supercenter in Okeechobee.
Walmart was quick to respond to the allegations regarding the quality of its products. The company issued a statement that read: “The health and safety of our customers is a top priority. We are reviewing the complaint and will respond appropriately to the court.”
Hubbard’s lawsuit, however, paints a very different picture. She claims that she opened the can to serve herself and her minor daughter — whose age was not specified in the report. Hubbard alleges that she suffered severe and permanent injuries, including gastroenteritis and a parasitic infection.
Her daughter is also alleged to have suffered significant abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, and a parasitic infection that has required medication to manage. The lawsuit further states that Hubbard obtained evidence showing worm-like organisms inside the can.
Hubbard claims to have seen “worms and/or parasites moving in the food.” The complaint further alleges that a video recorded by Hubbard “clearly depict[s] worm-like organisms moving within the food product.”
The lawsuit places responsibility on both Walmart and Campbell Co. The latter was already the subject of a U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service health alert in 2025. The agency flagged four soups produced by the company for containing foreign materials, “specifically wood,” in an FDA-regulated ingredient, cilantro.
In Hubbard’s lawsuit, the two companies are accused of failing to maintain adequate safety measures during manufacturing or storage that would have prevented parasitic contamination. The pair is seeking $75,000 in damages, alleging that the two companies violated federal food safety laws.
Campbell Co. was careful in its response and chose to leave the matter to its legal team. The company issued a statement that read: “We do not comment on pending litigation, but we believe the claims to be without merit, and we intend to vigorously defend against these allegations.”
According to the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, soups fall into the category of low-acid canned foods, alongside products such as spaghetti products, potatoes, corn, carrots, spinach, beans, beets, peas, and pumpkin. The agency states that these products typically have a shelf life of two to five years.
Once opened, however, they should be refrigerated and consumed within three to four days. That guidance could become relevant as the case moves forward, particularly because the lawsuit appears to hinge on questions of food safety standards and compliance with federal regulations.
As the case proceeds and the allegations of negligence are examined, more answers are likely to emerge.
Published: Jun 6, 2026 08:55 am