TESCO is investigating after a customer claimed she found an object resembling a “slimy fish” inside a tin of own-brand value baked beans.
Katy Townsend posted a picture showing what appears to be a fleshy, translucent object on top of an open tin of beans.
The 34-year-old’s stomach-churning pictures include one showing the pinkish mass stretched out and two clear, eye-like lumps attached to it.
Katy, from Scarborough, North Yorks, opened the tin – expiry date July 2019 – at the chip shop in nearby Filey where she works as a counter assistant.
She posted one of her pictures of the 25p product to the supermarket’s Facebook page on Sunday with the caption: “Found this in the Tesco baked beans at work, looks like a fish?”
A Tesco Customer Care team spokesperson replied: “I’m really sorry that you’ve found what resembles a fish in a tin of beans. This is very concerning indeed.
“This is something that we’d like to investigate with our supplier. Please return the tin and the object to your nearest Extra, Superstore or Metro. My colleagues will process a Product Quality Complaint and a refund. You’ll then receive a response in writing from our Product Quality Team within 14 working days.”
Speaking today, Katy said: “It was my niece Lola who opened the tin and said to me ‘What the hell is this?’. Then I picked it up in shock.”
When asked what she thought it could be and what it felt like, Katy replied: “It looks like a fish. It was slimy.”
A Tesco spokeswoman said today: “We have sent the images to our supplier to try and find out what it is or what it might be.
“We are all very confident that it is not a fish.”
Social media users were quick to comment on the bizarre find.
Beckie Wray Watson said: “Oh my god.”
Ria Warren showed her disgust by simply posting a disgusted green-faced emoji.
While Adam Brunger joked: “You can find any fin in tins nowadays. I’m sorry, there’s a time and plaice for these jokes and now is not the time.”
A Tesco spokesperson said: “We take great care to ensure our products are of the highest quality. On this occasion, the air tight seal has been damaged and the baked beans have not maintained their freshness. We are investigating this with our supplier and will update Katy with the findings.”
It is understood the object found inside the can is mould and sources say the presence of a fish has been ruled out.
