M&S customer stunned to find STINK BUG in his ‘healthy’ pot roast chicken ready meal
Surprised Marco Furniss only realised there was a creepy crawly in his ‘Balanced for You’ meal after biting into the bug and ‘tasting something strange’
A SHOCKED Scot couldn't believe his eyes when he tucked into a 'healthy' M&S meal - only to chomp on a dead STINK BUG.
Marco Furniss had just taken a bite of his 'Balanced for You' Italian pot roast chicken when he realised there was 'something strange' in his mouth.
The 45-year-old, who is originally from Edinburgh, Scotland, said he had taken several bites of his meal - which lists the ingredients as roast chicken in a rich tomato sauce, rosemary roasted potatoes, roasted mushrooms and kale - before chomping on the bug.
The professional guitarist, now living in Chestnut, Herts, said he spat the mouthful out and saw the dead stink bug - also called a shield bug - lying dead on this plate.
Stink bugs produce a pungent liquid from glands in their hind legs - with many gardeners saying their smell can 'taint' the taste of their home-grown fruit and veg.
Speaking this weekend, Mr Furniss said he 'expected better' from M&S after his flatmate bought three meals for £10 from an M&S store in Cheshunt, Herts, last week.
He said: "I had taken a few bites and then felt something a bit strange in my mouth.
"I spat it out and saw this bug staring back at me.
"It was dead as it had been in the oven for 30 minutes, but it certainly tasted a bit odd."
He said that when he showed the bug to to his flatmate - a keen gardener - he found out that the intruder was a stink bug.
He added: "My flatmate told me it was stink bug and I started gagging as I wondered how many more of them were in there and if I had swallowed some."
A spokesman for M&S said it was investigating how the bug got into the meal and said it had given a full refund.
The spokesman said: "We’re sorry to hear about the customer’s complaint.
"M&S takes food safety very seriously and we work hard to ensure our food is produced to our high quality standards.
"We are investigating and have already provided a full refund.”
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