Couple fear they have tapeworms after ‘finding eggs in Lidl beef steaks they had eaten’
The Food Standards Agency are investigating the 'very serious' case after lab tests confirmed the supermarket steaks had the 'appearance of tape worm'
A COUPLE fear they could have tapeworms after eating potentially infected Lidl beef steaks.
Jon Russell, 34, and partner Natalie Zalewska, 35, initially fried the British packaged supermarket meat.
Mr Russell, a cobbler, ate almost all his meal while Natalie then cooked her portion in the oven and noticed “popping” seed-like particles.
Lab samples confirmed the steak had the “appearance of tapeworm”.
Further tests are being carried out and the Food Standards Agency is investigating.
The couple, of Brentford, West London, will be tested for the tapeworm larvae.
Mr Russell said: “It’s disgusting. We’d got the steaks and thought we'd have a bit of a romantic night with some Netflix but they tasted funny.
"By the time Natalie put hers in the oven I’d consumed three quarters of mine despite it being horrible.
“You couldn’t notice (the cysts) like you can in the photo until it was baked. It changed colour and popped. It had looked like fatty deposits in the meat when I was eating it.
“We showed it to health and Food Standards and they became very concerned.
“You just don’t expect this to happen to you in Britain. This is not a third world country and you expect these things to be controlled and for it not to happen to you.
"We still have stomach cramps now.
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“They asked to bring the meat down with packaging to get it tested at two separate labs.
“If it is British beef then it’s quite serious as it could be in the food system in England.
"The FSA are going to investigate three abattoirs used by Lidl.”
The first laboratory report carried out by scientists for Food Safety and Workplace Safety, stated: “All three pieces of meat appeared to be contaminated with small yellow nodules throughout the meat.
Most symptoms of infestation, tiredness, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, and loss of weight are mild but in some cases the tapeworm can damage internal organs like the liver and brain leading to serious illness.
Lidl said: “We are very sorry and are co-operating with the FSA’s investigation.”
