A Scots student has been horrified after finding a wriggling worm inside a blueberry from a packet of fruit she purchased from a posh supermarket.
Jiaman Shi was tucking into the pack of blueberries from Edinburgh's Morningside Waitrose store on Wednesday August 3 when she made grim find.
The 23-year-old was snacking when noticed a live worm that had burrowed and was moving inside one of the fruits.
The incident has left her concerned that the supermarket does not have adequate quality control and she felt that by sharing her own experience it would raise awareness of the issue, Edinburgh Live reports.
The student added that she normally eats blueberries with yoghurt but on this occasion had run out. Jiaman feared that she may have eaten the worm without noticing however as it was a few berries into the pack before she noticed the wriggling insect.
She said: “I am a student in Edinburgh and bought some blueberries online from Waitrose on August 3, with the best before August 6.
“I was disgusted when I spotted a live worm wriggling in a blueberry. I immediately called Waitrose Morningside to complain to staff.
“I received a refund for the blueberries but my concern was raised over the quality control of Waitrose fruits. I do not understand how the larva-like worm ended up in the packaging.
“It may be reasonable to find worms in veggies like cabbage where things can hide but not pre-packed fruits, as packed fruits should already have gone through quality control.
“I think it's shocking as the packet was still in date and I had already eaten a few. I don't know if I have eaten a worm.
“I usually have fruits with yoghurt but did not on this occasion. It's lucky that my yoghurt was finished the day before or I would have not spotted the worm.
“It was disgusting and I don't think I can eat any pre-packed fruits for a while, neither can my friends after seeing the video.”
A Waitrose spokesperson said: “We keep pesticide use to a minimum and make clear that our blueberries should be washed before use.
"While we have checks in place, both when picking and packing the fruit, we’re sorry that something slipped through on this occasion, and have apologised to and refunded the customer.”
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