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Sometimes treats can be a pleasant surprise, but what happens when that surprise turns unsettling? From razor blades to nails, and from mice to maggots, you’ll be astounded (and likely disgusted) by the ten strangest things ever discovered in food. Read this list at your own risk—your stomach might not be as strong as ours.
10. A Tooth Discovered in a Milky Way Bar
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons
In 2010, Sue Calhoun and her husband embarked on a road trip to Dallas, Texas, to collect a new tractor. Like many of us, Sue enjoys a snack while traveling. Her go-to snack? A Coke paired with a Milky Way candy bar. After stopping at a gas station, Sue grabbed her candy and soda. But she got more than she bargained for. Her first bite of the Milky Way was fine, but on the second bite, she thought she had bitten into a peanut.
However, that wasn’t the case. Instead, Calhoun discovered a full human tooth, complete with a filling. Fortunately, she didn’t damage her own teeth. After reaching out to Mars Chocolate North America, the makers of the candy bar, she received a letter of apology along with coupons for free Milky Way bars, as reported by KLTV. If I were her, I doubt I’d ever crave Milky Way again. Seems like someone definitely lost their sweet tooth in this incident.
9. A Black Widow Found in a Bag of Grapes
In September 2015, a shopper from Troy, Michigan, near Detroit, bought grapes from a Wal-Mart Supercenter as part of her regular grocery run. She was in for an unsettling surprise. While rinsing the grapes, she noticed a spiderweb. Upon closer inspection, she found a spider – and not just any spider, but a black widow. Known as the most venomous spider in North America, this discovery was quite alarming. After killing the deadly spider, the woman contacted both the police and Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart launched an investigation to trace the source and prevent future incidents.
Incredibly, a similar situation occurred in Boston with Jorge Fuertes and his son. Fuertes bought grapes from Whole Foods and claimed to have found at least two black widows in the bag, as reported by UPI.com. Fortunately, no harm came to anyone. This just goes to show that rinsing your produce could save your life.
8. Frogs Found in Frozen Vegetables (and Other Unlikely Places!)
Frogs have been discovered in frozen vegetables on multiple occasions. One particular case, however, raised serious concern. In 2010, Tim Hoffman found a frog inside a bag of frozen veggies from Meijer. After he reported the incident, the store issued a recall and removed the affected products. Another case occurred in 2009 when Chastity Erbaugh was preparing lunch for her kids. One of the items on the menu was green beans bought from Wal-Mart. Thankfully, she added butter to the beans, revealing part of a frog inside. Luckily, no one ate these beans.
It seems frogs have a knack for getting into food packaging. In yet another strange occurrence, a frog (or perhaps a toad? Does it really matter?) was found in a can of Diet Pepsi in Florida. Frogs have also been reported in other foods, including a box of penne pasta and a bag of fresh greens, raising health concerns, as some frogs are toxic. Sadly, frogs aren’t the only “bouncy” surprise found in food.
7. Metal Spring Found in Taco Bell Quesadilla
When it comes to fast food, most of us are blissfully unaware of what might end up in our meal. The expectation is that it's safe to eat. But in 2015, in San Marcos, California, a woman received an unexpected surprise with her Taco Bell order. After picking up dinner for her family, she ordered a quesadilla for herself, only to be shocked when she discovered a metal spring inside the food.
This metal spring, roughly the size of a Q-Tip, most likely came from a pen that one of the workers was using to mark orders. Thankfully, the worker didn’t accidentally swallow the spring or injure herself. According to her account, it led her to rethink fast food in general, as well as Taco Bell’s management and food choices.
6. Nails Discovered in Frozen Macaroni and Cheese
Photo courtesy of: Wikimedia Commons
One of the most hazardous incidents on our list occurred at the largest supermarket chain in the UK, Tesco. In 2008, Rebecca Shorten was preparing for a quick meal at home when she took a frozen macaroni and cheese dish from Tesco's freezer and microwaved it.
Without giving it much thought, she began eating. She bit down on something hard and, unfortunately, swallowed it. After a closer look, she made a horrifying discovery: two one-inch nails had found their way into her frozen macaroni meal—metal ones, the type used to hang a picture. Even worse, she had swallowed a third nail.
Tesco quickly responded to the situation by pulling the product off their shelves. However, this did little to help Shorten. She ended up at the hospital that night, where medical professionals performed an X-ray and confirmed that she had ingested a nail, which had lodged in her intestines. Although she was discharged, the pain was so severe that she had to return to the hospital the following day.
According to The Daily Mail, Shorten remained in the emergency assessment unit at Lincoln County Hospital until the nail passed through her digestive system. She recovered under the care of medical professionals and, sadly, has since sworn off mac and cheese for good, making this incident a tragic one.
5. Razor Blade Found in Wendy’s Fountain Drink
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons
The worker discarded a used razor blade into a cup, concerned that a loose blade in the trash might pose a hazard. Unfortunately, another worker unknowingly used the cup, which later ended up in the hands of Aubrey Simonds and her daughter. The restaurant expressed their apologies and took full accountability. Thankfully, the razor blade was not ingested.
4. Dead Mouse Found in Mountain Dew Can
In 2009, a man discovered a deceased mouse inside a can of Mountain Dew. Ronald Ball, who had once been a fan of the soda, filed a lawsuit against PepsiCo demanding $75,000 in damages. However, PepsiCo initially fought the claim. In court, they presented a scientific expert who argued that the mouse would have dissolved in the soda, turning into a gelatinous substance.
This incident certainly didn't help PepsiCo's image, and in fact, it had the opposite effect. Eventually, the lawsuit was resolved out of court for an undisclosed sum, but the sight of canned sodas will never be the same again. Mice, much like frogs, seem to end up in unexpected food items.
3. Condom Discovered in Clam Chowder
What could be better than a bowl of creamy clam chowder? Well, in 2003, Laila Sultan encountered a serious issue with her soup at a McCormick & Schmick’s restaurant in Irvine, California. First, the soup was served cold, so she requested a reheated version. After receiving a new bowl, she began eating, only to find a condom floating in her chowder.
Sultan filed a lawsuit against the restaurant, citing anxiety and depression as a result of the incident. McCormick & Schmick’s ultimately reached an out-of-court settlement with her for an undisclosed sum. Strangely, this wasn’t the only reported case of a condom found in food. There have also been claims of condoms turning up in McDonald’s Big Macs and fries.
2. Maggots and Larvae in a Mandarin Orange
Hassan Ali from West Yorkshire, England, bought a bag of mandarins from Sainsbury’s. He and his colleagues enjoyed three of the oranges straight from the bag. Later, in the afternoon, he returned for another one, only to break it open and discover it was filled with maggots and larvae.
According to the Mirror, the smell hit him first. He described it as 'like really strong rotting food.' Upon a closer inspection, he saw 'some sort of maggot or larvae and millions of tiny eggs.' Ali believed the insect to be deceased and immediately disposed of the decaying fruit. That’s certainly not how we envision a healthy snack.
1. Severed Finger Discovered in Frozen Custard
In Wilmington, North Carolina, Clarence Stowers was savoring a chocolate custard when he encountered something hard. Initially thinking it was a nut, he soon realized it was actually a severed finger.
Stowers promptly contacted the store and learned that an employee had tragically lost part of his finger in the mixing machinery. Another worker inadvertently scooped the finger into a pint of chocolate custard, which ended up in Stowers' possession. Stowers chose not to return the finger since it couldn’t be reattached, instead deciding to keep it for his legal case.
This incident may remind you of a similar story where a woman claimed to have found a severed finger in her Wendy’s chili. While that story was eventually revealed as a hoax, with the woman having planted the finger herself, it's hard to imagine any reason someone would go to such lengths for a scheme like that.
