A dad who claims he found a black metal screw inside his pepperoni pizza is calling on Co-op to investigate amid concerns a child could have choked.
Glen Roberts from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, has already refused £40 in compensation after he allegedly bit into the pizza and pulled out a foreign object.
The dad-of-two had bought pizzas for himself and his 15-year-old son from the Co-op store in Crosland Moor.
He plumped for the pepperoni, while his son Layton chose the margarita, as part of a £5 pizza and beer deal.
Mr Roberts said: "I couldn't believe it. I cooked both pizzas in my oven and I was just on my second or third slice when I felt something in my mouth.
"I thought it was my tooth or something, but then pulled out a screw, which I can only presume must have come out of one of their ovens.
"My biggest gripe was the store's attitude though when I got in touch to complain. Yes, nobody was injured, but it could have been quite serious.
"Can you imagine if a small child had eaten it and it had got stuck in their throat?
"They've offered me £40 in compensation, but that's not the point. I just didn't feel like they were taking it seriously enough and weren't going to investigate properly."
He said the store manager had offered him the cash and asked if he could return the screw to them. But Mr Roberts said he wasn't convinced they would investigate the incident properly.
Mr Roberts said: "They just didn't seem to give two hoots. They just seemed interested in getting hold of that screw, so they could cover their tracks and forget about it. It's not on.
"I would like a proper apology and the reassurance that there would be a full investigation as to where it had come from. There really could have been very serious consequences."
Mr Roberts now plans to report the incident to Trading Standards.
A Co-op spokesman said: “We work closely with our suppliers to ensure the highest quality of food with rigorous checks in place, including metal detectors, to protect food safety.
"We take any concerns raised very seriously, enquiries are being made and we’ve apologised to our customer.”
