Student's horror as he discovers maggot in his bag of Bombay mix

Ali Javed, 22, made the unsightly finding in a bag of the Indian snack, which he bought from Tesco, Skimpot Road, on the Luton/Dunstable border.

Mr Javed said it was only by chance that he spotted the maggot, which was wrapped in a web, as he finished off the pack.

He told us: “We were really shocked, I picked it up thinking it was something else then my mum told me it was a maggot.

“It’s worrying to think they may be in other packets as well.

“The maggot was right at the bottom of the packet and I had no idea it was there – it made me feel a bit sick as I’d had most of the mix already.

“It’s only because I looked down that I found it, otherwise it would have been gone.”

Mr Javed, from Dunstable, took the bombay mix back to Tesco and was given a refund.

Since making a complaint in writing the 22-year-old has received apologies from the supermarket and CoFresh, the company which made the product.

The manufacturer has claimed that health and safety incidents at its factory are ‘extremely rare’.

In a letter to Mr Javed, CoFresh said: “I’m sorry you found what appears to be the cocoon of an insect.

“The factory where this product is made is cleaned regularly as well has having route hygiene/housekeeping audits.

“Complete care and precautions are taken to ensure our products reach you in perfect condition are suitable for consumption.

“I would like to reassure you that incidents like this are extremely rare.”

Included with the letter was a cheque for £7 as a gesture of goodwill.

It added: “We hope this will give another opportunity in proving our commitment to customer service and high quality products.”

In a separate letter a Tesco customer service manager told Mr Javed: “I am very sorry to learn that you found what appeared to be a maggot inside your Bombay mix.

“I can appreciate how upsetting this would have been for you, please accept my apologies.”