A major supermarket investigation has been launched following disturbing claims from a shopper who says he discovered what appeared to be a parasitic worm inside pre-cooked chicken purchased from Tesco.
Shocking Discovery During Power Cut Meal
Donald Cameron, a 54-year-old from the Highlands, made what he described as a "disgusting" and "rank" discovery while eating a pre-cooked whole chicken bought from the Tesco store at Holm Mains in Inverness. The purchase occurred during a power cut last October when Cameron sought food that wouldn't require cooking without electricity.
"As we came to the end of our meal, I tore open a piece of breast meat and was horrified," Cameron recounted. "You could see the wee holes and bruising where the worm had burrowed through the flesh. Having grown up in a rural community beside a farm, I've seen these things before and know what devastating health effects they can have."
Frustrating Corporate Response
Cameron immediately reported his concerns to Tesco's head office, following their instructions to return the chicken to the store on October 6th for a refund and reference number. However, what followed was months of frustration and what Cameron describes as inadequate handling of a serious food safety issue.
"After six weeks of hearing nothing, I phoned head office again," Cameron explained. "I could barely believe it when they said they hadn't heard a thing about it and couldn't find the reference number. None of my phone calls to the store were being answered either."
When Cameron made a 40-mile round trip back to the Holm Mains branch, he discovered the allegedly contaminated chicken had been "stuffed in a fridge behind the store's cigarette counter" where it had remained since he first handed it in weeks earlier.
Health Risks and Council Investigation
Parasitic worms present significant health risks to humans, potentially causing abdominal pain, diarrhoea, dramatic weight loss, malnutrition, severe anaemia from internal bleeding, and stunted growth in children. In severe cases, surgical intervention may be required.
Disturbed by Tesco's handling of his complaint, Cameron escalated the matter to Highland Council's environmental health team on January 26th. The council has confirmed their officers are now actively investigating the incident.
Compensation Offers and Supermarket Response
Tesco has apologised to Cameron and offered compensation, initially proposing £50 in vouchers, then increasing the offer to £100. Cameron rejected both offers, stating: "That would barely cover my petrol money and there's a more serious issue at play, so I told them to stick it."
The supermarket chain is reportedly contesting Cameron's claim that the discovery was a parasitic worm, suggesting instead that it was a naturally occurring blood vessel. However, four months after the initial complaint, the matter remains unresolved.
"The lack of action is an absolute disgrace," Cameron stated. "The manager had basically done nothing about it. It was pretty clear he had just hoped the problem was going to go away, but I wasn't prepared to let it drop."
Lasting Impact and Food Safety Concerns
The experience has profoundly shaken Cameron, who now says he doesn't think he'll eat chicken again and "certainly wouldn't trust food sold in that supermarket." He expressed particular concern that "we will probably never know now if there were other contaminated chickens within the same batch."
In an official statement, Tesco said: "We're sorry to hear about Mr Cameron's experience after raising a concern with a product. We work closely with our suppliers to ensure there are robust quality procedures in place for all products we sell. We have apologised to Mr Cameron and offered him a gesture of goodwill for the inconvenience caused."
A Highland Council spokeswoman confirmed: "We can confirm that a complaint was lodged with The Highland Council on January 26, 2026 re this matter and it is currently under investigation by Environmental Health."
