A vegan woman was horrified after biting into a Sainsbury’s organic mejool date to find what she claims were dead, small black worm and lots of eggs.
Laura Cuthill, 21, from Edinburgh, said she felt sick and washed her mouth out several times after she bit into the sweet vegan snack.
The student and part-time supermarket worker said she is only finally able to eat dates again two weeks after the experience - but now cuts them in half before eating them.
Although Laura believes she isn’t the one who killed the worm in her date and her vegan values were not 'compromised', she said it reminded her that a ‘perfect vegan’ doesn’t exist.
She shared her date ordeal on Facebook, writing: "Just wanted to ask if anyone else has experienced this or knows what this is.
"I bit into a Sainsbury’s organic mejool date and found what appears to be a dead, small black worm and loads of eggs inside joined with a web like texture.
"I love dates and I’ve been so put off after this and just want my mind put at ease I guess. I’m probably overreacting but I’m so grossed out."
After buying a pack of organic mejool dates from her local Sainsbury’s in Edinburgh a couple of weeks ago, Laura said she wasn’t expecting anything unusual from her favourite treat.
She said: "As I bit into the date, my first reaction was that the texture wasn’t the same as what I am used to.
"I love dates, as well as being vegan, I now live a sugar free lifestyle and dates are my version of a sweetie. But it was gritty."
Laura rushed to the bathroom to spit out the date after claiming to see the worm inside the fruit .
She said: "I felt horrified, despite it not even being that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things. I had no idea what it was, but I knew it wasn’t right.
"I ran straight to the sink, spat out the bite I had taken and rinsed my mouth out several times. I felt really sick."
She said: "It was pretty obvious that whatever was in my date wasn’t alive, so I didn’t feel too much guilt as my bite isn’t what killed whatever life was in my date.
"It’s still a reminder to me that no matter what I eat, some form of life will be damaged in the process."
Laura, who also runs mental health blog Get The Inside Outside,said she is now educated on eating organic mejool dates - which aren’t sprayed with pesticides - and knows the risks she is taking when she buys them.
She said: "This means that I will be far more likely to find bugs in them. Sharing my experience educated me on this and now I understand what was in my date and why."
After sharing her experience on Facebook, Laura received hundreds of comments and reactions from fellow vegans.
A Sainsbury's spokesperson said, "Cases like this are extremely rare and we encourage Laura to get in touch with us so we can investigate her experience."
