Builder's horror after finding wriggling locust still alive in Sainsbury's salad

20 December 2023 , 17:16

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The locust Phil Hall discovered inside the salad on top of his coronation chicken sandwich (Image: Peter Barron Media)

A hungry builder was hopping mad after chewing on a giant live locust when he tucked into some salad from a supermarket.

Phil Hall, 60, is demanding an explanation from Sainsbury’s. He was on his break at work when he took a bite of the homemade coronation chicken sandwich covered in the mixed salad leaves from the store. Phil said: “I thought to myself ‘coronation chicken shouldn’t be that hard and crunchy’. When I took it out of my mouth, I saw it was a great big locust. It was still alive because it was twitching, and its head was moving.

"I shouted to the lads, ‘Have a look at what I’ve just nearly eaten’. They couldn’t believe their eyes.” His wife bought the bag of salad from Sainsbury’s main store in Darlington town centre, Co Durham, four days earlier. It was stored at their home in nearby Hurworth-on-Tees. Phil, a former police officer, said: “It made me feel physically sick to think the entire [locust] was in my mouth. It was camouflaged among the salad leaves, so I didn’t see it when I put a handful in my sandwich.”

Phil said it left him feeling sick after he realised what he'd bitten in to (Peter Barron Media)

Phil is calling for an explanation about how the live creature ended up inside the salad bag. The insects, a type of grasshopper, are rarely seen in Britain. Dad-of-two Phil said: “It’s put me off coronation chicken for life. I’ll be going through any salad in future with a fine-tooth comb.” He wants Sainsbury’s to make a foodbank donation as a goodwill gesture. Phil tested positive for Covid when he got home after the locust nightmare. He said: “A locust sandwich and Covid – I’ve definitely had better days.” Sainsbury’s said: “We have apologised for this unpleasant find and we are investigating with the manufacturer.”

A spokesperson for Sainsbury's said: "The salad was provided to Sainsbury’s by a supplier who also sells to other UK supermarkets."

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