'Rat foot' found in boy's saveloy sausage

Sickened: Candace Mosen with her son Lucas. Photo / Natalie Sixtus

WARNING - UPSETTING IMAGE BELOW

A woman says her son found the foot of what appeared to be a rat or mouse inside a saveloy sausage.

Candace Mosen, from Gonville, Whanganui, said her son Lucas put a piece of saveloy in his mouth before throwing it back on the bench when he was having lunch yesterday.

The rest of the family had eaten from the same packet of Top Hat saveloys the previous night and were horrified to see what looked liked a rat or mouse foot.

"I swore," Ms Mosen said.

"Obviously, if there's a foot, where's the rest of the rat? I don't want to see other babies getting sick.

"It obviously went through a food processor, because it's processed meat. It makes me sick to think about that."

The packet of saveloys was bought at a Whanganui supermarket in early February and had been in the freezer, she said.

The supermarket said its head office had been notified, as well as Tegel, who they said was the supplier.

"We followed all correct procedures and informed the supplier as well. They're all aware of the situation."

The supermarket said because the object was not found outside the tray or caught in the plastic wrap, it would not have come from its premises.

The foot that was found in a saveloy sausage. Photo / Natalie Sixtus

The supermarket said it had offered Miss Mosen a refund. "That's part of our policy.

"We only wish the customer would've been more co-operative - she didn't give us a chance to do that."

Ms Mosen said she was not offered a refund. Meanwhile, she had spoken to Tegel in the afternoon and said a representative had told her they would be visiting Whanganui over the weekend to look at the foot.

"They were telling me it was a chicken foot," she said.

"I told them I would be hanging on to it, because I wanted to get it tested."

She said she had also contacted the Ministry of Health.

The Chronicle contacted Tegel late yesterday for comment, but it has not yet returned calls.