Grossest Things Found In Food: Shocking Discoveries Revealed

Finding something unexpected in your food can turn your stomach, but some discoveries go far beyond a simple mistake. These are the grossest things found in food, turning everyday meals into shocking headlines.

From a live scorpion found in a sealed bag of bananas at a Costco in Halifax to black widow spiders repeatedly discovered in grapes at Tesco stores across the UK, these are not just urban legends. These are real, verified events.

This guide will explore the most shocking and unsettling items people have found in their food, revealing the stories behind these disturbing discoveries and what they tell us about the journey our food takes before it reaches our plates.

Key Takeaways

• Easter 2014, Angela Parren found a live scorpion in Guatemalan bananas from a supermarket chain in St. Stephen, Cornwall, raising concerns about the safety of imported fruit.
• Shoppers like Stephanie Thorneycroft have discovered black widow spiders in grapes at Tesco stores, particularly as imports shift from California to regions like South Africa.
• Factory-sealed products are not always safe, as shown by Stephanie Granger’s discovery of a razor blade in ice cream and Fred DeNegris finding a dead frog in a Pepsi can, a case later verified by the FDA.
• Fast food has had its share of horror stories, including a deep-fried chicken head found in a McDonald’s Happy Meal in Virginia in 2000, which resulted in legal action.
• In January 2009, Stephen Forse found a mouse baked into a loaf of Hovis bread, leading to manufacturer Premier Foods being fined nearly £17,000 for hygiene failures.

Shocking Discoveries in Everyday Food

You might be surprised to find that your everyday groceries can sometimes contain shocking and unwanted items. People have reported finding everything from live creatures to sharp objects hidden in packaged goods.

Live Scorpion in A Sealed Bunch of Bananas

Angela Parren was a sales assistant working at Phoenix Stores in St Stephen, Cornwall. She was unpacking a sealed bag of bananas when she noticed something moving inside. The movement caused her to inspect the bag more closely, which led to the discovery of a live scorpion. The scorpion’s presence indicated that it had travelled unnoticed through the import supply chain from Central America, where such species are native.

The scorpion was later identified as a juvenile black-edged scorpion, a species commonly found in Costa Rica, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Its survival in transit demonstrated the resilience of tropical arthropods and exposed vulnerabilities in the fruit importation process. Phoenix Stores’ staff responded by contacting local authorities and animal experts, which resulted in the scorpion being safely captured and transferred to Newquay Zoo. This transfer ensured public safety and preserved the animal for scientific observation.

The incident highlighted the biosecurity risks associated with global food supply chains. It illustrated how international produce shipments can introduce unexpected species into domestic environments. Although the scorpion’s venom was not lethal, its sting was painful enough to pose a genuine hazard to consumers. Media coverage amplified public awareness of the event, which prompted renewed scrutiny of import inspection standards and reinforced the need for improved quality control measures in supermarket supply systems.

Black Widow Spider in Grapes

Finding a spider in your fruit is unsettling, but discovering a venomous black widow is another level of shock. This has happened multiple times to shoppers at UK supermarkets, particularly Tesco.

Female black widows, identifiable by a red hourglass mark, have venom said to be 15 times more potent than a rattlesnake’s. Incidents reported in Dorset and Merseyside involved grapes imported from California. One shopper, Linda Cooper, was so alarmed she called the police. In another case, an entire nest of spiders was found in a bunch of grapes in Warwickshire.

Tesco stated that its suppliers have strict checks to prevent pests and suggested the rise in incidents could be linked to reduced pesticide use. While these spiders are not aggressive, they will bite in self-defence, and symptoms can include nausea and difficulty breathing.

Razor Blade in Ice Cream

In February 2011, Stephanie Granger, a woman from East Texas, cut her lip on something sharp while eating a tub of Walmart’s Great Value “Peanut Butter Stars” ice cream. At first, she thought it was a piece of foil, but she soon realised it was a broken razor blade.

This wasn’t an isolated type of incident. In 2008, a serrated knife was found baked into a Subway sandwich in New York. These events underscore the potential dangers of foreign objects making their way into the food production line.

While Granger did not sue, she urged Walmart to investigate its quality control. Such cases put pressure on food manufacturers to implement stricter safety measures, like metal detectors and X-ray scanners, to prevent sharp objects from reaching consumers.

Dead Frog in a Soft Drink Can

Fred DeNegris of Ormond Beach, Florida, got a horrifying surprise when he cracked open a can of Diet Pepsi on a hot day. After taking a long drink, he began to gag, sensing something was wrong with the flavour and texture. He shook the can, and what he described as “pink linguini” followed by “dark stuff” slid out into the sink.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) launched an investigation and collected the can for testing. Their official report confirmed the foreign matter was a frog or a toad, though its internal organs were missing.

The FDA also inspected the Pepsi bottling plant in Orlando but found no adverse conditions. PepsiCo maintained that its production lines are too fast and quality control too rigorous for such a thing to happen, suggesting the contamination occurred after the can was opened. The case remains one of the most disgusting things people have found in their drinks.

What Are Some Disturbing Fast Food Incidents?

Some of the most unsettling foreign object discoveries have happened in fast food restaurants, where the speed of service can sometimes lead to shocking lapses in quality control.

Chicken Head in a Happy Meal

In 2000, Katherine Ortega of Newport News, Virginia, bought a box of McDonald’s “Mighty Wings” for her children. While serving them, she noticed one piece looked very unusual. It had a beak, eyes, and a comb, it was a battered and deep-fried chicken head.

The story quickly made national news. Ortega hired a lawyer and considered a lawsuit, though it appears one never materialised. A key legal point was that a chicken head, while disgusting, is not technically a “foreign object” in a box of chicken parts, which made a claim for psychological trauma difficult.

McDonald’s offered a refund or a replacement meal, but the incident raised serious questions about the food processing chain that supplies fast food giants.

Mouse Found in a Loaf of Bread

In January 2009, Stephen Forse from Oxfordshire was making sandwiches for his children when he saw a dark shape baked into the crust of his Hovis Best of Both loaf. He initially assumed it was poorly mixed dough but was horrified to see whiskers and fur, it was a dead mouse.

To make matters worse, an environmental health officer investigating the case noted that the mouse’s tail was missing, raising the horrifying possibility that his family might have already eaten it in a previous slice.

Premier Foods issued a public apology for what it called an “isolated incident”. The case remains a stark reminder of the importance of pest management in food production facilities.

The company that produced the bread, Premier Foods, was fined £5,500 and ordered to pay over £11,000 in costs by the Oxford Crown Court for failing to maintain adequate pest control and hygiene standards at its London bakery.

Plaster on Pizza Toppings

In June 2011, Ken Wieczerza of Ballston Lake, New York, bit into a leftover slice of Pizza Hut pizza and felt something odd. He pulled a blood-stained plaster from his mouth, which had been baked into the bottom of the crust.

Wieczerza was concerned about potential exposure to blood-borne diseases like hepatitis. He tried to resolve the issue privately, asking only that Pizza Hut pay for a blood test. After weeks of what he called an inadequate response, he took his story to the media.

Pizza Hut responded by questioning his account, claiming the type of plaster and dough were not consistent with their restaurant’s supplies. This incident highlights the serious hygiene risks when food handlers do not follow safety protocols.

Unexpected Objects in Packaged Foods

Even foods that are sealed for safety can sometimes contain unpleasant surprises. From baby food to chocolate bars, consumers have found objects that clearly do not belong.

Glass in Baby Food

In 1986, a widespread scare began after a woman in Brooklyn found glass in a jar of Gerber baby food. Soon, similar complaints were reported in over 30 states. Despite the panic, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) investigated and found insufficient evidence to order a nationwide recall.

The FDA inspected thousands of unopened jars and concluded that most contamination was likely due to accidental breakage during shipping or jars being chipped by consumers. They found glass in only a small number of the consumer-opened jars they tested, leading them to believe the cases were isolated.

Although Gerber sued the state of Maryland for banning its products, the incident damaged public trust and served as a major lesson in crisis management for food companies.

Tooth in a Chocolate Bar

On New Year’s Day in 2010, a woman in Texas was eating a Milky Way bar when she bit down on something hard. It was a human tooth, complete with a silver filling, baked into the chocolate.

This incident became one of the most widely covered cases of a foreign object in food. The discovery raised serious questions about hygiene and safety standards at the confectionery factories responsible for producing mass-market sweets.

Investigators looked into quality control measures and worker safety protocols following the report. For consumers, it was a jarring reminder that even a sealed candy bar can hold a nasty secret, far worse than just a high sugar content.