Earl Triplett hadn’t meant to start a national panic, but in 1993 the 82-year-old retiree living in Tacoma, Wash., did just that. After returning from vacation with his wife Mary, Earl reached for a can of Pepsi. After finishing the drink, he headed off to bed. The next morning, Earl tried peering inside the can to see if he could make out a phrase that might earn him a prize in a sweepstakes. That’s when he noticed something rattling inside the can. He shook it loose and out popped a hypodermic syringe with a bent needle tip — a telltale sign it had been used. Horrified, the Tripletts phoned their attorney seeking advice. Within weeks, the entire country was deluged with stories of people finding needles in their cans of Pepsi, causing the soft drink giant to lose a staggering $25 million in a matter of days. It would take the combined efforts of the FDA and the FBI to determine whether consumers were being confronted with a reckless hoax or a tampering epidemic. Though there was no formal recall issued, some retailers stopped stocking Pepsi on shelves; the FDA recommended people pour out the contents of a can into a glass before ingesting it. Pepsi’s stock dropped, and so did sales: The company would later estimate a total loss of earnings at over $50 million. Bottling dates gave FDA officials an important clue. If a can was alleged by a consumer to contain a needle but had been manufactured weeks prior, then the needle should demonstrate progressive corrosion from being trapped in an acidic soda bath — yet virtually none did. Before long, people began admitting that they had inserted needles into their Pepsi cans in hopes of monetary gain. Pepsi even distributed a surveillance video of a consumer in Aurora, Colorado, seemingly inserting a needle into a Pepsi can before complaining about it to a clerk. “To date, there has not been one verified, legitimate claim of a syringe in a can of Pepsi,” proclaimed Secret Service agent Terry Vermillion. Within the week, both Pepsi and the FDA had been able to course-correct headlines. Pepsi took out ads in newspapers and handed out pamphlets announcing that there was no cause for concern. With a rash of copycats, the Tripletts were lumped in with other opportunistic hoaxers who had deliberately planted needles, but they were adamant they had done no such thing. The couple later discovered that the needle could have been placed in the empty can by a diabetic in-law looking to safely dispose of it. “I think the FDA owes it to us to say they found no indication whatsoever that we lied to them,” said Mary Triplett. The agency did finally apologize to the Tripletts.
