A woman was left disgusted after discovering a cooked moth inside a bag of Marks & Spencer tortilla chips, having already eaten around a third of the packet.
Suzanne Bailey, 45, from Liverpool, was preparing a Mexican-themed dinner for her family in October when she made the stomach-turning discovery.
She had bought a £1.25 bag of Lightly Salted tortilla chips from M&S to serve alongside the meal.
After transferring the snacks into a bowl, Suzanne initially mistook a dark object among the crisps for a burnt piece of tortilla.
However, a closer look revealed that it was actually a dead moth that appeared to have been cooked along with the chips.
The mother-of-one said the insect was coated in seasoning, while several of its legs were also found separated from its body.
She said: “It [the moth] hasn’t just got in there after it’s been made, it’s been cooked.
“I actually thought the moth was a burnt tortilla at first.”
Suzanne’s 13-year-old daughter, Isabella Bailey, had also eaten some of the food before the insect was spotted.
According to Suzanne, her daughter became so disgusted that she vomited after realising what had been in the bowl.
The discovery also left Suzanne worried that she might have unknowingly swallowed part of the insect, particularly after finding one of its detached legs.
“I was mortified as I had eaten approximately a third of the bag,” she said.
“When I was putting all the tortillas into the bag [to keep as evidence], I spotted all of the moth’s legs.
“I was like, ‘How many legs have I eaten?’”
Suzanne compared the experience to taking part in a food challenge on reality television show I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!, describing it as “gross and absolutely disgusting”.
“I’m not into bushtucker trials but it feels like I’ve done an M&S one,” she added.
The incident also ruined the family’s planned Mexican dinner. Suzanne claimed she was left around £30 out of pocket after throwing away the £10 meal and ordering a £20 takeaway instead.
She subsequently lodged a formal complaint through the M&S website and contacted the company’s customer service team.
Suzanne said the experience had put her off tortilla chips and claimed she no longer intended to shop at M&S.
“We haven’t been back to shop at M&S. I don’t think I could eat tortilla chips again either,” she said.
An M&S spokesperson said the company was taking the complaint seriously and had begun investigating the matter with its supplier.
“We take matters like this extremely seriously and are working closely with our supplier partner to investigate this fully.
“We have been in touch with the customer directly to apologise for the inconvenience caused and offer a full refund,” the spokesperson said.
