A mum was horrified to discover live insects writhing in her Sainsbury’s risotto rice as she prepared dinner for her family.
Nicola Jarvis, 49, from Margate, bought the £2.40 box of Arborio Risotto Rice at Sainsbury’s in Ramsgate earlier this month.
The mother of five was cooking a bacon and pea risotto when she saw the bugs crawling across her frying pan.
She said: ‘When I looked at the plate I couldn’t believe my eyes.
“It was infested with insects and it made me feel sick.”
What’s more, the mother became even more infuriated when she noticed that the rice, which had a sell-by date of July 26, 2025, was already well within its sell-by date.
With no other option, Nicola decided to throw away her food and order a takeaway kebab.
Nicola added: “It reminded me of a Bushtucker trial on I’m a Celebrity and I started retching.
“I had to throw everything away.”
After ordering takeaway, Nicola contacted Sainsbury’s to complain and wanted to know how the bugs had gotten into the rice box.
She continued: ‘All they said was that they were sorry for ruining my evening and offered me a £5 voucher as compensation.
“I didn’t want a voucher, I wanted an explanation of how the live insects got into a sealed container in a supermarket.”
Criticizing Sainsbury’s response, Nicola added: “People pay a lot of money for food these days and wherever you buy it you expect it to be edible and not full of bugs.”
The mother-of-five was cooking a bacon and pea risotto when she saw the bugs (pictured) crawling across her frying pan.
The mother of five became even more infuriated when she noticed that the risotto rice was “better before” July 2025.
After ordering her takeaway, Nicola (pictured) contacted Sainsbury’s to complain and wanted to know how the bugs had gotten into the rice box.
A Sainsbury’s spokesperson said: “We are in contact with Nichola to apologize for this strange experience.”
“We have processes in place to prevent this from happening and we are investigating this case with our supplier.”
What’s more, Nichola also reported the incident to Thanet District Environmental Health Board.
A council spokesperson said: ‘TDC’s Environmental Health team has received a complaint from a member of the public relating to contaminated rice.
‘Complaints are assessed against key criteria, including the risk to public health and the number of people potentially at risk.
“Council officials will investigate the complaint and, if necessary, visit the premises where the product was purchased.”
Last August, another British shopper was stunned to find an insect in the packaging of his organic broccoli.