I found BUGS squirming in my Sainsbury's risotto rice – it was like an I'm a Celebrity bushtucker trial and all they offered me was a voucher

A mother was left shocked after discovering live insects crawling into her Sainsbury's risotto rice as she prepared dinner for her family.

Nicola Jarvis, 49, from Margate, bought the £2.40 box of Arborio Risotto Rice at a Sainsbury's in Ramsgate earlier this month.

The mother of five was cooking a bacon and pea risotto when she noticed the bugs crawling around her frying pan.

She said: 'When I looked at the dish I couldn't believe my eyes.

'It was crawling with insects and it made me feel sick.'

Moreover, the mother became even more furious when she noticed that the rice – which had a best before date of July 26, 2025 – was well within its best before date.

With no other choice, Nicola decided to throw her meal away and order a takeaway kebab instead.

Nicola added: 'It reminded me of a Bushtucker trial on I'm A Celebrity and I started gagging.

“I had to throw everything in the trash.”

After ordering her takeaway, Nicola contacted Sainsbury's to complain – and wanted to know how the bugs got into the rice box.

She continued: 'All they said was that they had ruined my evening and offered me a £5 voucher as compensation.

'I didn't want a voucher, I wanted an explanation of how live insects ended up in a closed container in a supermarket.'

Nicola added: 'People pay a lot of money for food these days and wherever you buy it you expect it to be edible and not full of bugs.'

The mother of five was even more furious when she noticed the risotto rice had a 'best before' July 2025

After ordering her takeaway, Nicola (pictured) then contacted Sainsbury's to complain – and wanted to know how the bugs got into the rice box

A spokesperson for Sainsbury's said: 'We have been in contact with Nichola to apologize for this rare experience.

“We have implemented processes to prevent this and are investigating this matter with our supplier.”

In addition, Nichola has also reported the incident to Thanet District Council Environmental Health.

A council spokesperson said: 'TDC's Environmental Health team has received a complaint from a member of the public regarding contaminated rice.

'Complaints are assessed against key criteria, including the risk to public health and the number of people who may be at risk.

'Municipalities will investigate the complaint and, if necessary, visit the property where the product was purchased.'

Last August, another British customer was stunned to find an insect in the packaging of their organic broccoli.