HAZLETON - When James Eakle's brother opened up a Hershey's Payday mini candy bar, he didn't expect to find what he did: a green-tinted substance on the corner of the treat.
Eakle, Hazleton, had his son and brother visiting from out of state for a NASCAR race at the end of July. He purchased a family pack of Payday minis and passed them out to friends and family members.
His brother opened his first candy bar from the bag and saw the unknown substance, Eakle said.
Eakle immediately wondered what it could be and took action to find out by visiting Wal-Mart and contacting Hershey.
"If that big of a chunk was on one candy bar, it has to be on more," Eakle said. "It makes me sick to know I gave them to other people, but no one complained about not feeling well."
After Eakle saw the material, he took the candy bar back to Wal-Mart where it was purchased. He received a full refund and was told that he should keep the candy and call Hershey.
Once Eakle called Hershey, he was offered $25 as a gesture of goodwill and for the inconvenience, said Jeff Beckman, director of corporate communication at Hershey. Eakle turned down the offer.
"Eakle was asked to send the candy back so that it could be analyzed," Beckman said. "Until we can see it, everything would be speculative. We would also share our findings."
Eakle was told over the phone that the substance was biodegradeable grease that was caused from fat, he said.
Now, Eakle still has the candy bar and wants to have it analyzed to see if the substance is indeed biodegradeable.
"My son's stomach was upset for two days," Eakle said. "I will never eat another Payday candy bar again."