A local couple have discovered a dead animal in a packet of Kettle Chips.
The small mole-like mammal was at first believed to be a mouse, however an investigation proved otherwise, proving that the animal was actually a shrew.The finding was made by husband and wife, John and Elinor Hughes from Conwy Valley.
Mr Hughes contacted Kettle Foods UK and was asked to take a photography of the “foreign body” and to put it in an envelope and send it to them.
Upon following these instructions, Mr Hughes received a call explaining that they had received his photograph and would be sending a courier to collect the animal immediately.
Kettle Foods conducted an in-depth probe and found that the animal did not enter the bag when the crisps were being packaged at the factory.
After investigations, a spokeswoman for Kettle Foods Limited said: “We pride ourselves on producing quality products and are always striving to provide our consumers with the best possible chips.
“We take food safety and quality very seriously and have stringent systems and procedures in place to ensure that every bag of KETTLE® Chips reaches our consumers in perfect condition.
“We have sought independent advice from an expert Pest Control Company”.
The lightly salted crisps were delivered to the Hughes household by Sainsbury’s shopping.
The crisps were destined for the couple’s 9 year old son’s lunchbox.
Kettle Limited added: “Our investigations so far indicate that the shrew did not enter the bag at Kettle Foods, or during distribution, and therefore we need to understand how it came to be associated with our product. Naturally we are taking this issue seriously and we will continue to liaise directly with Mr and Mrs Hughes”.
A spokesman for supermarket Sainsbury’s, where the couple say they bought the bag, were not available for comment.