List: Most disgusting things Australians have found in their food
From bugs to Band-Aids, Aussies have sampled some truly disgusting meals in recent years. These are some of the worst.
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From bugs to Band-Aids, Aussies have sampled some truly disgusting meals in recent years.
These are some of the claims made over unwelcome additions to our meals.
Mum’s shock find in McMuffin
Biting into her sausage and egg mcmuffin, Margaret Francic knew immediately something was wrong.
The 56-year-old Biggenden woman had driven through Hervey Bay’s McDonald’s outlet and bought a meal for herself and her son, who she was visiting on June 30, 2023.
When she swallowed her first bite, she felt something scratch her throat.
At first Ms Francic thought it was a piece of overcooked egg, but when she looked at her McMuffin, she noticed a piece of green plastic poking out.
“I could not believe it,” she said.
She took the meal back to the restaurant, where one of the workers told her it looked like part of a green plastic glove.
“I was pretty surprised that she said that to me,” Ms Francic said.
Ms Francic returned the mcmuffin and was given a new one from the restaurant.
“I don’t think we are ever going to eat McDonald’s again,” she said.
A McDonald’s Australia spokesperson said in a statement that the company took food and drink safety “extremely seriously”.
‘Disgusting’ find inside Coles salad
A horrified student claims she has been left traumatised after she discovered a dead insect inside her supermarket caesar salad bowl.
Design student Zoe Anderson began “dry-retching” after allegedly finding the dead insect — which she believes to be a moth — in her salad.
The 22-year-old from Bonnells Bay, in the Lake Macquarie region of NSW, said she bought the salad yesterday at her local Coles.
After she was “nearly finished” eating the salad, Zoe said she was “horrified” after discovering the 3cm dead insect at the bottom of her meal — and had to stop herself from vomiting.
“I’d just gone to Coles to grab some lunch and I picked up the $5 caesar salad.
“I’d had it before and always enjoyed it. Just when I was nearly finished eating it, I looked down and noticed something at the bottom of the salad.
“I took a closer look and realised it was a dead insect. I was absolutely horrified.”
Zoe said she felt physically sick from the realisation.
“I started dry-retching and had to stop myself from vomiting everywhere. It was disgusting.
“I think it was a moth, but I’m not really sure. It had wings though.
A Coles spokesperson said: “Coles takes the quality of all our products seriously and has contacted the customer to follow up their complaint.
Man’s shock find inside his pie
A self-styled “pieologist” from the Gold Coast in March 2021 said he will avoid chowing down on the Aussie delicacies again after claiming he found a Band-Aid concealed in a servo pie.
Mudgeeraba man Brett Smith said he enjoyed a visit to Carrara Markets before he bought a Pie Face pie to eat at United Carrara on Nerang Broadbeach Rd.
Mr Smith, 54, said he made the find after he took a bite of the chicken and mushroom pastry and stripped it of its lid to let it cool down.
“The lid has come off and then I find the plastic, blue Band-Aid,” he said.
“If they didn’t make the pies so hot I probably wouldn’t have found it and would have eaten the bloody thing.”
A United Petroleum spokesperson said: “Pie Face are investigating the source of the food grade blue plastic fragment allegedly found in a mini pie. Pie Face are committed to producing and selling premium products for our customers, which are enjoyed by thousands of satisfied consumers.”
An investigation by Queensland Health later found the object discovered inside the pie was a piece of plastic covered cardboard.
Band-Aid discovery in pre-made salad
Mortified Woolworths shoppers in January 2023 revealed their horror after biting into a pre-made salad only to discover a Band-Aid had made it into their mouth.
The grim find was made inside a Woolworths Potato, Egg and Bacon salad, after the customer had begun tucking in.
The gruesome experience left the shopper “absolutely disgusted”, with her heading back to the store, at Lismore Square, in the NSW Northern Rivers, five hours later to report it.
She also reported the bandaid find to head office, hoping they would take action to remove products with the same batch number, H1201, from shelves.
A Woolworths spokesperson said they were unaware of any other bandaid reports.
“We take food safety very seriously, and we’re concerned by this customer’s experience,” they told news.com.au.
Shock find in Red Rooster chicken meal
A Red Rooster customer was shocked in August 2024 to find what appeared to be a rats tail in a chicken meal, taking to social media to warn other diners.
It came just days after a “pinker than pink” raw chicken burger was served at a Brisbane Hungry Jack’s franchise.
A Ripley Red Rooster diner posted a “heads up” notice to a local community page after discovering what he believed to be a rat’s tail in his chicken meal.
“If you order food from the Red Rooster at Ripley check your food,” the man said.
“(I) found a rat’s tail in our food tonight.”
The picture depicted a light pink chicken with a rat’s tail in the packaging covered in chicken.
Another resident questioned where the rest of the rat’s body would be.
A Red Rooster spokesman said Red Rooster takes their food safety obligations and handling extremely seriously.
Victorian man makes a horror discovery
Geelong region man Brendan Prpic in December 2022 purchased a large, grand Angus burger from McDonald’s in Leopold – and got an extra dose of protein on the side.
Along with the extra cheese, extra patty and bacon he ordered, there was a nasty surprise hiding in the bun – a beetle.
A horrified Mr Prpic returned his beetle bun burger to the McDonald’s outlet about 5.30pm on the same day.
He said he hoped and believed the beetle was dead.
“I kindly asked to speak to the manager and she said she had never seen it before,” he said.
Mr Prpic was offered a refund or a replacement and was told an investigation would be conducted.
A McDonald’s Australia spokesperson confirmed the Leopold beetle burger incident and said Mr Prpic had been given a full refund.
An investigation was also underway.
“McDonald’s takes food and drink safety extremely seriously,” the spokesperson said.
‘Maggots in my chicken’ claim
A customer in January 2018 said she got an unwanted surprise at a KFC store on the Northern Rivers.
Alongside the secret herbs and spices, she claimed her dinner from the Casino outlet was also smothered in something else – maggots.
Melissa Cavanagh posed on Facebook that she was “feeling disgusted”.
“Ewww … just got KFC only to find maggots … what a turn off,” she said.
A KFC spokesperson issued the following statement: “KFC works closely with leading Australian forensic entomologists to understand flies to ensure our restaurant cooking and food handling practices are robust so we can keep our food safe.
“Their latest studies show that flies only deposit eggs in food with temperatures between 10 degrees Celsius and 40 degrees Celsius.
“We hold our raw chicken below these temperatures and our cooked chicken well above so again, it’s unlikely this situation happened pre-purchase.
“Unfortunately at this time of the year flies are out in force across Australia.
“We urge customers to take care when leaving food uncovered during the warmer months to prevent these instances from occurring.”
KFC also provided research from Professor James Wallman from University of Wollongong, which states that a fly can deposit its eggs or maggots onto the food within seconds.
‘Dead rat’ found inside can of beans
An Adelaide woman in March 2024 she was “horrified” after opening a can of Coles beans and discovering what appeared to be part of a dead rat inside.
Lauren Whitburn was preparing a family dinner when she made the disturbing find.
“I went to pour the kidney beans into the strainer and I noticed there was something there that looked unusual,” Whitburn told nine.com.au.
Whitburn said the beans were bought in Mount Barker, in the Adelaide Hills.
A Coles spokesperson said the incident was being investigated and apologised to the customer.
Cairns mum’s revolting discovery after bite
A Cairns woman in October 2022 received a nasty shock after taking a bite of her takeaway burger, realising the bun was spotted in mould.
Earlville woman Amber Lelliott, 25, said she ordered the food from Hungry Jack’s DFO drive through about 4pm – an easy meal on the way home from visiting her parents.
“I took a bite and then I saw one bit of mould and I flipped it over and realised the whole thing was just covered in those little spots,” Ms Lelliott said.
“It’s disgusting,” Ms Lelliott said.
Ms Lelliott is a mum for her two year old daughter Amira, and said she was thankful she refused the toddler’s demand for a bite of the burger.
“If someone was to actually get really sick from that it wouldn’t be good. You could end up in hospital and it could be very serious.”
She threw the burger away and skipped dinner.
“I didn’t really end up eating anything, because I was just a bit turned off by the burger.”
A spokesperson for Hungry Jack’s said they had been made aware of Ms Lelliott’s complaint about the mouldy bun.
“Food safety is of the highest priority for Hungry Jack’s, and we have in place stringent procedures and policies to uphold these standards in our restaurants,” the spokesperson said.
Hidden bug in burger leaves man sick
An Adelaide man in October 2018 claimed a squirming bug in a Hungry Jack’s burger left his stomach turning well before takeoff.
Vegetarian Mitch Ford claimed he spied the live bug after ordering a Veggie Whopper deal from Adelaide Airport’s Hungry Jack’s outlet.
Mr Ford, 24, was preparing to fly to Bali with friends when he said he realised his meal was moving more than a burger should.
“I was halfway through and had a look and saw something moving, and this little bug was still kicking in the middle of the burger,” Mr Ford said.
After taking the burger back to the counter, Mr Ford said the female staff member did not seem shocked or particularly apologetic.
“She just quickly threw it in the bin and asked if I wanted a refund for the burger or the entire meal, so she gave me a refund for the meal,” he said.
The alleged incident in June prompted Mr Ford to email Hungry Jack’s management upon his return from Bali.
Mr Ford said the near-miss did not made him wary of hidden extras inside takeaway meals.
“I probably should but I don’t, I think it is a bit of a one-in-a-million chance,” he said.
Sydney woman allegedly finds a large spider
A Sydney woman in February 2018 uploaded a video on Facebook of what appeared to be a large huntsman spider trapped in her unopened Italian salad from Woolworths.
Zoe Perry posted the short clip, attracting more than 2.7 million views on the social media platform.
“Shopping as per usual for Italian Style Salad Mix … get it home … Mum goes to open the packet and we are greeted by …” she wrote online.
“Is this what’s actually behind the “salmonella” callbacks? Kind Regards, An arachnophobic family.”
Woolworths promptly responded to Perry’s public message.
“We’re very concerned about this Zoe, and take incidents like this very seriously. Please let us know your phone number and state in a Private Message at http://www.facebook.com/messages/woolworths so that we can follow this up with you ASAP. Thanks,” a Woolworths social media manager wrote.
Gold Coast schoolboy’s disgusting find
The father of a Gold Coast teenager in May 2018 said he was disgusted when his son discovered a dead fly trapped inside a sealed Le Snak pack.
John, who didn’t want his last name published, told news.com.au he purchased a box of Uncle Tobys Le Snak Tasty Value Pack 264G at Woolworths in Runaway Bay, Queensland, about a month earlier.
But it wasn’t until his 15-year-old son went to open one of the cheese and biscuit snacks at school a few days ago that he realised it came with an unwanted side of dead fly.
John said his son noticed the insect before opening the Le Snak and left it sealed before later contacting manufacturer, Nestle.
“He decided not to open it because he was concerned for his health,” John said.
“My son was in shock when he found a fly in his lunch at school and was very disappointed he had to go hungry.”
John said a Nestle spokesman asked him to send a photo of the item before requesting the snack to be posted to the company for inspection.
“(The person I spoke to) was not apologetic at all until I said how upset my son and I were,” he said.
Nestle spokeswoman Sally Strautins told news.com.au the company had been in touch with the customer to arrange collection of the product “to allow for a full investigation of this complaint with our factory”.
Man’s ‘disgusting’ find in Macca’s burger
A Queensland couple in November 2018 learnt a lesson about checking your food before you leave the drive-through.
Callum Wentriro’s partner had been shopping in Kingaroy and stopped in to McDonald’s to get lunch to bring home.
When they sat down in their Wondai home to enjoy their burgers, they made an unusual discovery.
“My partner doesn’t like the pickles, so she pulled back the bun to take them off,” Mr Wentriro said.
However, according to Mr Wentriro, they made a stomach-churning discovery.
“At first I thought it was extra sesame seeds,” he said.
“I told my mum about it and she said ‘no, they are fly eggs.’”
Mr Wentriro then phoned the fast food restaurant to inform them of the unusual ingredient.
“The manager said to bring it back and they would give us another burger,” he said.
“Thankfully she doesn’t like pickles, otherwise she would’ve eaten it.
“I thought it was absolutely disgusting.”
Acting manager at Kingaroy McDonald’s, Daniel Harding said he had spoken to the couple on the phone and offered them another burger.
Mr Harding said while he had not seen the burger or any photos, he did not think the food was contaminated.
Mum’s horror find in showbag
Visitors to a popular show in May 2024 said they were devastated to find rotten confectionery in bags that cost up to $50.
Paying customers to the 2024 Ipswich Show in southeast Queensland shared photos that purportedly depicted mouldy lollies and ant-infested lollipops.
Ipswich mother Mickay Ash shared a snap of her child’s showbag. She claimed more than half of it’s contents were covered in mould.
Ms Ash said she bought her two children one showbag each who after the discovery of the mould were left “devastated”.
Mum’s warning after gross find inside popper
An Aussie mum’s day took an unexpected turn when her own mother, babysitting her five-year-old grandson, discovered mysterious black clumps floating inside a juice popper the boy was drinking.
“I was at an appointment with my daughter, so my mum was watching my son. He had asked for a popper and had put the straw in and taken a few little sips,” the Queensland mum, Erin, told Kidspot in February 2024.
He then asked for it to be put in a cup - a request that, in hindsight, may have helped him avoid potential health consequences.
“Mum cut the corner of the spout and poured it into the cup and black bits came out.”
A Woolworths spokesperson said: “We take food safety seriously, and are disappointed to see this customer’s report.”
A Bega Group spokesperson said: “As soon as we were made aware of this, we commenced working with our broader team to conduct a thorough investigation.”
Razor found inside Uber Eats-delivered meal
A Brisbane woman said she was in “pure shock” after finding a razor inside a burrito she had ordered from a popular Mexican restaurant chain.
Allie Strange, 24, said in March 2021 she and a friend ordered dinner from Burrito Bar, Browns Plains through the Uber Eats app.
She says after almost finishing her meal, she found a razor in the middle of the chicken in her burrito.
“I was honestly just shocked, it was pure shock,” she said.
“I didn’t really know what to do, I just looked at it and thought it was a piece of paper or something and then when I realised it was a razor my jaw just dropped, and my friend’s jaw dropped and we were just speechless.”
She said the restaurant offered her a free meal, which she declined.
A spokesperson from Burrito Bar confirmed the incident was reported to management, and that they were taking the feedback “extremely seriously”.
The spokesperson said at this stage, they believe the “most likely cause” was a broken piece of supplier manufacturing equipment from outside of the restaurant, which had come into the restaurant inside raw ingredients.
Shoppers’ ‘disgusting’ find in Woolies meal
Two customers were left baffled in November 2020 after they discovered a “disgusting” find in their pre-made Woolworths meals.
The shoppers took to Facebook to reveal an unexpected grey meat matter in the supermarket’s own brand Butter Chicken with Rice.
Woolworths Australia told news.com.au it was investigating the matter, adding it treats food quality “seriously” and was “disappointed to see this”.
One shopper was so shocked by the strange-looking meat he shared a video of the pre-packaged meal online.
“Why the f**k does it look like that?” he asked in the clip as he zoomed in on the Indian meal. “It’s kinda (sic) frightening.”
He then shared another two images of the food after placing the contents onto a plate.
“Yeah ahh no … thanks woolworths. Zero chance I am eating that,” he wrote.
It showed the rice on one side with the butter chicken next to it, however, the meat appeared to look grey and a different texture to chicken pieces.
‘I went to the bathroom and threw up’
A Brisbane man ate a McDonald’s breakfast burger in March 2016 that he claimed made his skin crawl.
Postal worker Joshua Camilleri, 37, was about to take a third bite of his morning McMuffin, bought from the Coorparoo restaurant, when he saw what appeared to be a cockroach cooked into the egg.
“I threw up pretty much straight away. I went to the bathroom and threw up. It’s disgusting,” he said.
“I will never eat McDonald’s again in my life.”
Mr Camilleri took the half-eaten burger back to the takeaway chain after work and was reimbursed for the meal.
He said the manager offered no explanation for the incident and asked for the burger back to allow for an investigation.
But Mr Camilleri refused, keeping the burger in his fridge “just in case I needed it.”
A McDonald’s spokeswoman said without the burger the corporation could not properly investigate and “at this time we have no reason to believe this contamination occurred in our restaurant.”
“The customer has refused to provide us with the product to allow us to look into this. Without the co-operation of the customer, it’s hard for us to investigate any further,” the spokeswoman said at the time.
Originally published as List: Most disgusting things Australians have found in their food
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