Seen At 11: People Complaining Graham Crackers 'Smelled Like Chemicals,' 'Tasted Like Poison'

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Graham crackers aren't supposed to smell like chemicals.

But as CBS2's Kristine Johnson reported Monday, a recent investigation into graham crackers has raised some safety concerns. Test results showed a high level of a chemical that's found in foods that have gone rancid.

Vanessa Brown thought her daughter might have been poisoned after taking a bite of Nabisco crackers.

"As soon as she put it in her mouth, she said the taste was just horrible and smelled like chemicals," Brown told CBS2. "I'm thinking, 'Oh my God, are they poisonous?'"

Brown said the box of graham crackers smelled like paint.

"You give them to your kids and you're concerned," Brown told CBS2. "What's going into their system? What's going into their body."

Stan Flewelling also had an issue with what he thought would be a tasty treat.

"I definitely think there's a problem with the product," he told CBS2, adding that they smelled "pretty rancid."

Flewelling said he bought his box several months before the best used by date.

Nabisco told CBS2 that Brown's crackers were opened 10 months past their "best used by date."

"Manufacturers put those dates on products to indicate to consumers the time period in which they can ensure an optimal product experience," Nabisco said.

But more customers have been taking to social media to complain about these stinky crackers, with descriptions such as "hideous smell," "tasted like poison," "stung my mouth," and "reeked of chemicals."

Jon Trelfa, a food safety tester, told CBS2 that non-expired box of graham crackers he at "actually choked" him.

"Nowhere from the box or the package here do I smell what would be called graham crackers," Trelfa said.

One expert explained to CBS2 that the smell would probably keep people from consuming enough for it to become harmful.

A Nabisco spokesperson said the crackers have been reformulated and the product that resulted in the complaints is no longer on the market.