Nappy pants have been stripped from supermarket shelves after a serious pest was found inside a haul of imported products.
Khapra beetle larvae were discovered inside Little One's Ultra Dry Nappy Pants - Walker Size 5 (42pk) earlier in September, a federal agriculture department alert states.
The products were sold nationally by Woolworths and imported through a third company.
No other sizes or products from the same brand are believed to be impacted.
Anyone who bought the nappy pants has been told not to use them but not to throw them away as normal.
Instead, they have been urged to seal the nappy pants in a bag to prevent the pest spreading and contact biosecurity authorities immediately.
Anyone who comes across the insects another way has been urged to raise the alarm.
"People working with imported goods, at ports, in warehouses or those transporting containers, need to be vigilant for hitchhiker pests," the alert states.
The department said the beetle was a serious pest to stored grain and dry food but was not an immediate threat to human health, but can be allergenic and cause skin irritation.
A Woolworths spokesperson said as soon as they were made aware a customer raised the alarm the company removed the product from sale, quarantined it and launched an investigation with importer Ontex.
"We take biosecurity and product safety very seriously, working with our supply partners and the federal government to ensure our products adhere to all relevant biosecurity, import and safety regulations," the spokesperson said.
"We understand the serious threat the khapra beetle poses to the agricultural sector, which is why we acted quickly."
The find was initially reported to the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development on September 7.
The beetle was eradicated from Victoria in 2023 and new importation rules introduced in 2022 to prevent the pest arriving in Australia.
The beetles destroy grains, making it unfit for human consumption.
The department website states if the beetle became established in Australia then many trading partners would not accept our stored produce, which would have a major impact on the economy.
