Mum finds ‘clump of hair’ in baby food but Aldi says it’s plant roots

Not very appetising (Picture: Kennedy News and Media)

A mum has vowed to never shop in Aldi again after she found what looked like a clump of hair in their baby food.

Jemma Gallimore, 30, had warmed up the microwave meal for her son Fred, aged 11 months, when she came across something unexpected.

She thought there was something that ‘looked and felt like hair’ in the Mamia Beef Stew.

The supermarket say they have spoken to the supplier and believe it was actually a piece of vegetable root, but Jemma remains unconvinced.

She says she found a smaller strand before pulling a ‘massive chunk’ out from the gravy, her terrified that her son could have choked.

The fulltime mum fears other babies could be at risk if there are similar objects in other packages.

Jemma Gallimore with son Fred (Picture: Kennedy News and Media)

Aldi said their supplier has robust procedures to ensure foreign objects do not make their way into the product and said they are going to investigate it.

Jemma, from Holmes Chapel, Cheshire, said: ‘I was absolutely mortified. He will never have meals like that again. I’ll make sure of it.

‘[Fred] had one spoon then looked like he wasn’t too sure about it – pulling the food out his mouth. I went to give him another one and saw a little “hair” on it.

‘I’d pulled that, then another and it pulled this massive chunk out. I thought ‘what the hell have I just fed my child?’

‘How I didn’t even notice on the first one I’ve got no idea. It’s gross.

‘The way that it is and how it feels, it feels like a horse mane. It was quite big and proper furry.

‘It was probably about two and a half inches long to where it’s joined together.

‘I put it to the side and thought ‘no way’. As I looked through [the meal] again there were all single ‘hairs’ in it.’

Jemma claims their son suffered a tummy upset later that evening.

The ‘hair-like clump’ which Aldi says is likely to be a vegetable root (Picture: Kennedy News and Media)

‘There’s no way I’m ever shopping in Aldi again,’ she said.

She has urged the chain to recall the item, after saying she found more of the meals still on the shelves.

‘We’ve grown potatoes for years and everything like that. I don’t believe it’s from a root,’ she said.

‘It could have been a choking hazard. Even if it was root matter, it shouldn’t be there anyway.’

‘It felt like hair and came away like hair. I’m excited to see what it is if they get it tested. We should have maybe got it tested ourselves privately.’

A spokesperson for Aldi said: ‘Our supplier has robust processes in place to prevent foreign objects from entering production and believes this to be part of a natural vegetable root.

‘We have apologised to the customer that this product didn’t meet our usual high standards and have provided a full refund.’

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