Mountain Dew turns mice 'jelly-like,' Pepsi claims

A man who says he found a mouse in a can of Mountain Dew is wrong, Pepsi Co. Inc. says, arguing the soda is so acidic the mouse would have disintegrated before he opened it.

Ronald Ball, of Illinois, is suing the soft drink giant, claiming he found a mouse in a Mountain Dew he bought and drank in 2009, LegalNewsline reported.

But Pepsi Co., which produces the bright yellow beverage, says that's impossible -- because the acid in the soda would have caused the mouse carcass to decompose into a "jelly-like" substance.

The mouse Ball claimed to have found in his can hadn't decomposed to that extent, scientists for Pepsi said.

UPDATE: CBC News has obtained a copy of Pepsi's opposition to Ball's motion. The document includes the following statement:

"As Dr. McGill explains, if a mouse is submerged in a fluid with the acidity of Mountain Dew, after 4 to 7 days in the fluid the mouse will have no calcium in its bones and bony structures, the mouse's abdominal structure will rupture, and its cranial cavity (head) is also likely to rupture... By 30 days of exposure to the fluid, all of the mouse's structures will disintegrate to the point where the structures (excepting possibly a portion of the tail) will not be recognizable and, therefore, the animal itself will not be recognizable. Instead, after 30 days in the fluid, the mouse will have been transformed into a 'jelly-like' substance."

Pepsi has asked for the lawsuit to be dismissed. It must answer Ball's amended complaint by Jan. 11, according to the Madison Record.

Reports of foreign objects in other food products have had an impact on companies' reputations and bottom lines.

In 2005, a Nevada woman attracted international attention when she claimed to have found a finger in a bowl of chili at a Wendy's restaurant. Wendy's reportedly lost more than $2 million US due to the resulting publicity.

The woman later admitted she'd planted the finger and was sentenced to prison time.

How do stories like this affect your opinion of food products and brands, if at all? Let us know in the comments.