(Editor's Note: Rosendahl's quote refers to fruit flies as she explains they are very common to be around. The Siouxland District Health Department says they have never encountered a problem with maggots in food before, making it an uncommon occurrence.)
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KTIV) - Imagine going out to eat, biting into your food, and finding more than you ordered. That's what happened to one customer at a Sioux City McDonald's.
Siouxland District Health officials say it happened on August 26, and was reported to them the next day. The customer says she bit into a burger, at the Singing Hills location, and found maggots inside.
The restaurant determined the insects came from inside a pickle container. Their quality control department says a fruit fly somehow got into the pickles and created a larva, which hatched maggots.
Even though fruit flies are quite common, health officials say this is an unusual case. Michelle Rosendahl, with Siouxland District Health says, "They're very common to be around, so after learning a little bit more about it, it's almost surprising that maybe it doesn't happen more often."
Rosendahl says the restaurant followed protocol, checked its produce, and even got rid of some food to make sure the problem didn't happen again. She says maggots pose no risk to a person's health.
In a statement, the restaurant's owner and operator, Keith Petrie, says quote "food safety and quality is of the utmost importance to me." Petrie says he takes the claim "very seriously," and he promised to work toward a resolution."
