An Auckland woman who found a clump of fly eggs on her KFC chicken says the discovery made her feel "sick to her stomach".
Taryn Cumming told Stuff she found the clump of eggs on a Wicked Wing, after she had already eaten four pieces of an eight pack.
"I was sick to my stomach, and then I was worrying because I'm breastfeeding my baby too"
Cumming said she fed her baby formula for the following day and a half as a precaution, but luckily he's not showing any signs of illness.
She posted in a Facebook group on Monday warning others to check their food before they eat it.
Cumming complained to KFC New Lynn, and to Uber Eats which gave her a full refund straight away, she said.
A KFC spokeswoman said the fast-food chain is addressing the "isolated incident" with an internal investigation.
There have been several other stories of people discovering fly eggs in their KFC chicken. In 2019 one man blasted the chain for serving him contaminated chicken - but the fast food restaurant disputed the claim, saying it was "very unlikely this situation happened pre-purchase".
"Our strict food safety procedures in-store mean any contamination like this can only occur after the product leaves the store, particularly if it is left sitting un-refrigerated where flies and other contaminants can access it," says Geraldine Oldham, general manager of marketing for Restaurant Brands.
"We note in the customer's own image, there is a dead fly next to the chicken, which suggests it was left open to contamination once the customer left the store. The eggs are present within the cavity of the chicken and not on the surface of the skin, which again suggests it had been eaten and then been left uncovered."
While it is revolting, eating fly eggs is unlikely to lead to any serious health complications.
The risk is that flies carry harmful bacteria they have picked up with them throughout the course of the day, according to Medical News Today.
Larvae laid by the flies can ingest this bacteria and then in turn, humans who ingest the larvae can get sick.
Salmonella and e.Coli are examples of what can be transmitted - though this is unlikely.
Medical News Today recommends a person who has accidentally ingested fly eggs or larvae should see a doctor if they experience persistent abdominal pain, diarrhea for more than three days, a fever or visible larvae or blood in their stools.
