Lizard found in tin of tomatoes
The lizard was found in a tin of tomatoes. Muhammad Hussain

A couple looking forward to a tasty curry got more than they bargained for - and lost their appetite in the process - when they opened a can of tomatoes to find a dead lizard inside.

Muhammad and Sanam Hussain made the grim discovery as Mrs Hussain, who is seven months pregnant, was cooking lunch at their Birmingham home on Thursday (4 June).

"It was disgusting. I am in shock. I am so worried about my baby because I am pregnant," she said.

"I talked to my midwife about it and she said if I feel ill, I should contact the hospital."

Mr Hussain said he was alerted by his wife's screams from the kitchen.

"My wife was making lunch for me and our 15-month-old son," he said. "When she opened the can, she saw something and screamed at me to come through. I saw it was a dead baby lizard.

"We are worried about food poisoning. The can was part of a pack of 12. We had already eaten seven of them. Now my wife is off her food.

"I think we have been put off tinned tomatoes for life."

The couple, who live in the inner-city suburb of Alum Rock, said they had bought the cans at Masala Bazaar, an Asian supermarket in Birmingham owned by Euro Foods.

Euro Foods said: "This is a major concern. We are in touch with the family and are going to collect the offending can and have it analysed to see at what stage of the process the lizard got introduced.

"Once we have investigated, we will put in controls to stop this happening again."

The company said it had contacted its supplier in Italy to find out how the lizard got into the tin.

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