An Aldi shopper has been left 'stunned' and 'horrified' after claiming to find two pieces of broken glass or plastic in his supermarket quiche.
James Smith, from Wolstanton, said the unknown item 'crunched like a bone' when he bit into his cheese and onion delicacy - and claimed Aldi's response to the incident is an 'insult'.
The retired paramedic told StokeonTrentLive that the piece of glass or plastic that he pulled out of his mouth was around three centimetres long - and after digging around in the quiche, James alleges he found a second, even longer, piece.
He said: “When I crunched on it, it felt like a bone. Immediately, I was stunned and horrified. I showed it to my wife and she couldn’t believe it. When I poked around in the food I was dumbfounded."
Aldi told him that as he’d also had cauliflower cheese and baked beans on his plate it would be “difficult to investigate” because the products came from different suppliers. The supermarket did offer him a £30 voucher as a 'gesture of goodwill' - but the 68-year-old said he 'isn't interested in money', and called the offer an 'insult'.
“It looked like a very long stem of a wine glass or a laboratory pipette. One piece was about three centimetres long and the other four centimetres," he said.
“As a former paramedic I’ve seen the things that can happen when you ingest something sharp. I’m not interested in money. It could have lacerated the inside of my mouth, my throat, my oesophagus, and my stomach.”
James complained to Aldi on Twitter.
In response, an Aldi customer service advisor said: "I would like to assure you that Aldi works closely with all suppliers to ensure we are delivering the highest quality products to our customers. Our products go through stringent quality checks to ensure they are to the required standard. I apologise sincerely if the quality checks have fallen short on this occasion.
"Upon reviewing this complaint further, and with the images you have shared with us, we can see that multiple products were used in your meal. Sadly, this does make it difficult for us to start an investigation with any of our suppliers as we would be unable to determine which product and which supplier this has possibly come from.
"Nevertheless, I would like to assure you that we still monitor all customer feedback in relation to our products, and we will continue to insist on the highest standards at all times. On this occasion, I would like to arrange for a £30 voucher to be sent to your email address as a gesture of goodwill."
Aldi has confirmed it has apologised to James.
An Aldi spokesperson said: “We have apologised to Mr Smith that this product did not meet our usual high standards. We work closely with our suppliers to ensure that all products go through stringent checks and quality controls. We would encourage Mr Smith to return the item so that we can investigate the matter fully with our supplier.”
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