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A mum has warned other parents to be on guard after discovering what she described as a 'hair-like' clump in an Aldi ready meal.
The concerned parent, Jemma Gallimore, has suggested that Aldi should recall its baby food, expressing fears that her son could have choked on the unintended addition.
Jemma had warmed up a Mamia Beef Stew microwave meal for her 11-month-old son two weeks ago only to come across the unknown item that she thought 'looked and felt like hair' in the food.
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The 30-year-old says she found a smaller strand before pulling a 'massive chunk' out from the gravy, leaving Jemma terrified little Fred [Millard] could have choked on the 'big and furry' object.
Bleugh.
While Aldi's supplier believes the grisly find is likely to be 'natural vegetable root', keen gardener Jemma remains unconvinced by the explanation.
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Now stay-at-home mum Jemma is speaking out about the ordeal amid fears other babies could choke if 'vegetable roots' are in other tubs of the food.
Aldi said their supplier has robust procedures to ensure foreign objects do not make their way into the product, and they're convinced the item will be roots in vegetables rather than anything more sinister.
But they have promised they are going to investigate the issue, anyway.
Jemma, from Holmes Chapel, Cheshire, said: "I was absolutely mortified. He will never have meals like that again. I'll make sure of it.
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"[Fred] had one spoon then looked like he wasn't too sure about it - pulling the food out his mouth. I went to give him another one and saw a little 'hair' on it.
"I'd pulled that, then another and it pulled this massive chunk out. I thought 'what the hell have I just fed my child?'
"How I didn't even notice on the first one I've got no idea. It's gross.
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"The way that it is and how it feels, it feels like a horse mane. It was quite big and proper furry.
"It's not what you expect in baby food. It's the same size as an AA battery.
"It was probably about two and a half inches long to where it's joined together.
"I put it to the side and thought 'no way'. As I looked through [the meal] again there were all single 'hairs' in it.
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"If you think about it realistically, he's only little and he's very lucky he has eight teeth and can literally annihilate food like no man's business, but that could have choked him. Fred could still choke on that."
After spotting the unwanted extra in Fred's dinner, Jemma called her partner Mark Millard, 39, to tell him of about it, and later that evening, Jemma claims their son suffered a tummy upset.
Jemma said: "I immediately took it away. There's no way I'm ever shopping in Aldi again.
"I rang Mark and I said 'I'm absolutely disgusted'. I showed him and he was straight on to Aldi. He was on the phone to them before he even got home.
"Fred was up as well in the night with belly ache."
Jemma has now urged Aldi to recall the item as she fears the 'dangerous' addition could cause another child to choke, after finding more of the meals still on the shelves.
Jemma said: "We sent [the food] back on Monday.
"It could have been a choking hazard. Even if it was root matter, it shouldn't be there anyway.
"It should be recalled. I fear there could be other pots out there [with this in].
"I actually nipped in there [on Monday] because I was curious to see if they still had it on the shelf and they did.
"I don't understand [why they don't temporarily stop selling them]. Surely for the sake of a couple of quid, it'd be worth saying 'let's just check it and make sure they're all okay'."
A spokesperson for Aldi said: "Our supplier has robust processes in place to prevent foreign objects from entering production and believes this to be part of a natural vegetable root.
"We have apologised to the customer that this product didn’t meet our usual high standards and have provided a full refund."
Featured Image Credit: Kennedy News & MediaTopics: Life