Horrifying footage shows tiny bugs which had been lurking inside a Sainsbury’s pack of risotto rice crawling all over a mum-of-five’s dinner.
Nichola Jarvis from Margate was using the ingredient in a pea and bacon dish she was cooking yesterday evening and was left feeling sick after spotting the small black insects.
After seeing the suspected rice weevils scurrying over the food, the 49-year-old was forced to bin the whole meal – and ended up ordering a kebab instead.
Mrs Jarvis was left feeling disgusted and fearful that other people who have bought the risotto will also find the creepy crawlies in the packet.
Sainsbury’s bosses have apologised for the “rare experience" and are investigating the issue with their supplier.
Mrs Jarvis says she urged staff at the Westwood Cross branch to order a product recall on the Italian arborio risotto rice – but instead they offered her a £5 voucher, which she accepted.
She told KentOnline she had to do a double-take when she saw the “black things” in the rice and then realised they were moving.
Mrs Jarvis said: “It’s horrific. I was trying not to be sick and gagging. It was just awful.
“I’d already cooked the other ingredients for the risotto so everything that was in there had to go in the bin because there was no way I could have eaten it.
“I wish I’d opened it before putting it straight in but you don’t expect to find that sort of thing in risotto.
“I felt sick when I poured it out. When you find live insects crawling all over your dinner, it’s horrible.”
The former childminder says she is always very conscientious when cooking, ensuring she carries out good food and hygiene practices.
“For anyone who has an eating disorder, this could have had a long-term impact,” she said.
“That could potentially be very dangerous because if someone gets really freaked out by things like that then they would find that very hard to eat for days or even weeks.
“My son is autistic and had a different meal but even he was freaked out by the bugs.
“I’m lucky because I can laugh it off.”
Mrs Jarvis says she was “absolutely disgusted” when Sainsbury’s staff told her they were not going to issue a product recall.
“It’s not about the money, although I did think £5 was a bit insulting because it didn’t even cover the cost of the meal which was ruined,” she said.
“It’s the fact there are other packets out there. I just think they need to pull the product. It’s well within date and was definitely sealed so the bugs were in there.
“If that's the last thing a family have in the cupboard until the next time they go shopping and don’t have the money for a takeaway, people are potentially going to go hungry.
“We had lots of other things in the kitchen which we could have cooked – but in the end, I didn’t even want to go in the kitchen so we got a takeaway.
“I checked other products in the same cupboard in similar packaging like a bread mix – I opened that and it was fine. It was next to the risotto rice in the cupboard, so it’s not coming from here.”
This is not the first time Mrs Jarvis has been disappointed by produce from this branch of Sainsbury’s. Last year she was sent carrots which she said she would “not even feed to a dog” because they were so awful.
She added that if it was not for her being unable to drive and having a delivery pass subscription with this supermarket, she would shop elsewhere.
Mrs Jarvis has also contacted environmental health at Thanet District Council (TDC) about the bugs in her risotto.
A Sainsbury’s spokesperson said: “We are in contact with Nichola to apologise for this rare experience.
“We have processes in place to prevent this from happening and we are investigating this case with our supplier.”
Rice weevils infest and feed on grains, cereals and other foods.
The female chews a hole into a grain and deposits an egg inside. Once fully grown, the adult weevil eats its way out.
A TDC spokesperson said: “TDC’s Environmental Health team has received a complaint from a member of the public relating to contaminated rice.
“Complaints are assessed according to key criteria, including risk to public health and the number of people potentially at risk.
“Council officers will investigate the complaint, and if necessary, will visit the premises where the product was bought.”
Health Human Interest Kent Thanet Chantal Weller
