Hey everyone,

I’ve been a loyal HelloFresh customer for several years and have spent over $4,000 on their meal kits. I’ve mostly had good experiences—until this week.

I opened my box, ready to cook dinner, and what do I find? My broccoli was completely infested with maggots/insects. Not just one or two—it was crawling with them. Absolutely disgusting. Obviously, I had to throw out the entire meal.

I immediately reached out to HelloFresh customer service, provided photos, and asked for a fair resolution. Their response? A long, generic email about how their produce is “natural and pesticide-free” (as if that excuses sending me a broccoli full of maggots)—and a “small credit” as compensation. That’s not even close to the value of the ruined meal!

Now, here’s what really pisses me off: New customers get a year of free desserts, but as a loyal, longtime customer, I get basically nothing when they send me a box of literal bugs?

I’m posting this because I want to know—has anyone else had similar experiences? How did you get a real refund or proper compensation? Or is this just the level of customer service we should expect from HelloFresh?

by Few_Signature_2836

7 Comments

  1. kirmichelle

    Keep pushing back on customer support to refund you the cost of the meal

  2. Guilty-Cover8588

    With all broccoli I think it’s smart to visually inspect, rinse thoroughly, visually inspect (but I also am a bit neurotic). As devils advocate this could happen with any veg/meat from grocery store. I once bought romaine lettuce that was chock full of worms, I spent $20 on cod loin that also had worms, raspberries with little critters… it unfortunately happens. If you are unhappy with the resolution then tell the rep and see if they can refund you for the entire meal or box. But to be upset because new customers get a better deal ¯_(ツ)_/¯ cancel and you’ll get an offer to come back at a discount.

  3. Ok_Drawer7797

    You washed the produce like step one says right?

  4. Dora_Xplorer

    I don’t see maggots on the pictures.
    If these dots are bugs and not brokkoli crumbles this can happen with all products – supermarket, HF, local market.
    It’s not a health risk. Washing the veggies could help. Cooking will kill the bugs. You have probably eaten more bugs that you know because they were there but you didn’t notice them, be it HF or any other source.

    I never noticed bugs on my HF products. It would bother me a bit because I’m a vegetarian and I don’t want to kill bugs… but if it happens by accident I can’t do anything.

  5. JazzberryPi

    Broccoli is the one vegetable I avoid buying organic and pesticide free because these things get everywhere and are extremely difficult to get out. It’s not just a hello fresh thing, this happens to me every time I buy organic broccoli. It’s a difficult one because this is expected of broccoli without pesticides but, if you’re buying hello fresh, you don’t get the choice not to.

  6. Yes it is gross, but you’re saying there’s insects on a plant that grows on the ground. Where insects are. The meal wouldn’t have been ruined if you inspected the broccoli before you added it to the dish, you would’ve just gotten rid of the broccoli, which is what they refunded you for. If it was actually maggots I’d be pissed because maggots aren’t tiny little bugs, but bugs on produce is a normal thing, that’s why you wash it

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