A woman has shared her horror at finding a dead rat in a loaf of bread – but only after eating half of it.
Nombulelo Mkumla bought a loaf of whole wheat brown bread from a local shop in South Africa on her way home from work.
It was only when she was half way through it that she discovered what appeared to be a dead rat in between the slices.
A cross-section of the rat remained, with guts and dirty black fur exposed, where the rat appeared to have been cleaved into pieces during the slicing process.
Nombulelo shared her horror online, talking through her foul discovery and asking how the rodent could have found itself in amongst the food during production.
What appeared to be a rat was found still covered in hair within slices of the bread
Nombulelo Mkumla picked up the loaf of bread from a local shop in Durban, South Africa
Nombulelo was half way through when she made the horror discovery
In the clip shared online, she opens two slices to show pieces of the rat on each side, as well as the animal’s hair, guts and tail.
She said: ‘I took the bread out of the fridge to make toast and noticed something disgusting and scary.
‘I took a picture and sent it to my friends, and one of them said: “FYI that’s a rat”.
‘I was in denial and suggested it might be something else, but the rat scenario made sense – it’s possible the rat got into the bread at the factory and for no one to notice.’
Nombulelo, from Durban, South Africa, discovered the rodent on 31 August.
She claims to have gone back to the shop to raise the issue and was allegedly told to complain directly to the supplier, PepsiCo.
She sent the brand an email alongside her video and images of the bread.
Nombulelo claims she was later contacted by a representative from PepsiCo over the phone.
She told local news: ‘This experience has been traumatic and disgusting.’
Cornel Vermeulen from PepsiCo South Africa said they are aware of the ‘isolated incident’, as reported by IOL.
They also added that the loaf of SASKO Low GI Seeded Whole Wheat brown bread did not meet the company’s ‘stringent standards’.
Vermuelen has also assured customers that an investigation has been launched and that samples have been taken from the batch in question.
The company also said it has been in touch with Nombulelo.
MailOnline has contacted PepsiCo South Africa for comment.
Disturbing images show fur and skin embedded in slices of brown bread
‘I took a picture and sent it to my friends, and one of them said: “FYI that’s a rat”, she said
Still, it is not the first time someone has reported finding a rat in their food.
A tradesman from Brisbane, Australia who did not want to be named spoke out in February about the moment he realised he was eating a rat in a wrap bought from a popular bakery.
The man bought a leg ham and salad wrap at Beefy’s, Aussie World, in Palmview as a tasty snack on his journey home in late January.
He said the wrap looked ‘normal’ as he could only see lettuce, carrot and ham from the top.
The Aussie was horrified to realise his mistake only after biting into the rat.
‘I was chewing and chewing and chewing and I couldn’t get the mouthful that I’d bitten to actually come away from the wrap,’ he told Daily Mail Australia.
He initially thought the chewy texture was ‘a bit of ham gristle or a bit of fat’ but soon realised the mouthful contained a dead rat.
‘I kept chewing for a bit and thought something didn’t feel right here. I pulled it out of my mouth.’
‘I looked back up and thought to myself “that cannot be what I think it is” and kept driving but when I looked back down again I saw a tail and picked it up,’ he said.
‘I’m gagging just thinking about it again. It’s just so revolting. I was actually biting into the rat’s body.’
The tradesman immediately pulled over, rolled down his window and spat everything out of his mouth that he possibly could while gagging and dry-retching.
He said that when he went back to the restaurant to complain discreetly, without bringing attention to the mistake, staff screamed.
‘They all ran into the back room and two of them I think stayed… They were petrified.’
With the rat out of the bag, diners fled.
The tradesman told Daily Mail Australia he took a big bite of the wrap and initially thought the ‘chewy’ bit was ham gristle before making the horrifying discovery that it was in fact a rat
The Birsbane tradesman found a dead rat inside a lettuce and leg ham wrap he bought from Beefy’s Pies at Aussie World in Palmview
‘By then, the whole shop cleared out. People that were dining in were looking at me in disbelief.’
Following the incident, he received a phone call from a Beefy’s general manager who apologised on behalf of the franchise and promised to keep him informed, claiming the rat would be tested for any toxins.
But since the traumatic afternoon, he said has not been able to enjoy a meal without thinking about the rat inside his wrap.
Daily Mail Australia contacted Beefy’s for comment.
